WEDDING 


ISLAMAYMULLINS 


/tt  ~ 


ANNE'S  WEDDING 


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ISLA 


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Jlnne.  Carter 


ANNE'S 
WEDDING 

A     BLOSSOM     SHOP     ROMANCE 


BY 

ISLA  MAY  MULLINS 

AUTHOR  OP 

THE  BLOSSOM  SHOP,"  "ANNE  OF  THE 
BLOSSOM  SHOP,"  ETC. 


WITH  A  FRONTISPIECE  IN  FULL  COLOR  BY 

GENE  PRESSLER 


THE     PAGE     COMPANY 
BOSTON   ^   MDCCCCXVI 


PRESENTATION 


Copyright,  1916,  by 
THE  PAGE  COMPANY 

All  rights  reserved 


First  Impression,  September,  1916 


TO 

loifcrB*  OUtth 

Louisville,  Ky. 

WHOSE  EARNEST  WORK  HAS  WON 
MY  ADMIRATION 


2137298 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

I.  AN   ANNOUNCEMENT    PARTY     .      .       i 

II.    GOWNS  AND  CROWNS 26 

III.  FRUSTRATED  PLANS 38 

IV.  MAY  TRAVELS  UNEXPECTEDLY    .      .     59 
V.  NEW  INDUSTRIES  AND  PHILOSOPHIES    93 

VI.  GENE  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS    .     .     .124 

VII.  A  REPULSED  PHILANTHROPIST     .     .146 

VIII.    BUSY  DAYS 158 

IX.  SUNSET  FOR  UNCLE  SAM  .     .     .     .178 

X.  JOYFUL  POSSIBILITIES        .     .     .     .191 

XI.  UNCERTAIN  CONSPIRACY  ....  208 

XII.  A  STARTLING  TURN  OF  AFFAIRS  .     .  225 

XIII.  STRENUOUS  THINGS  FOR  ANNE  .     .  252 

XIV.     HAPPINESS     DAWNS 283 

XV.  A  BLOSSOM  SHOP  WEDDING  .     .     .310 


ANNE'S  WEDDING 

g^-^=  ^g 

CHAPTER  I 

AN  ANNOUNCEMENT  PARTY 

WEDDING  finery,  girls!  Wed- 
ding finery  1"  cried  Anne  Carter,  tripping 
up  the  front  steps  with  a  lightness  that  told 
of  supple,  much-used  muscles  in  her  tall, 
well-rounded  figure,  and  with  sparkling 
eyes  that  proclaimed  unmistakably  sudden 
climax  in  womanly  happiness.  Her  sis- 
ters, May  and  Gene,  "May'n'gene"  as  she 
had  come  to  call  the  "two  inseparables," 
girls  of  nineteen  and  twenty,  sprang  at 
once  from  the  step  where  they  sat  talking 


Anne's  Wedding 


and  cried,  "Stop,  Anne,  and  tell  us  about 
it  I" 

The  radiant  girl  fluttered  aloft  a  letter 
bearing  English  stamping  and  addressed 
in  a  bold,  even  hand-writing  which  the 
other  girls  had  no  trouble  in  identifying, 
while  the  dancing  feet  paused  long 
enough  for  her  to  turn  and  cry  again : 

"Wedding  finery!  I  must  get  at  it!  I 
have  never  let  myself  think  about  it  even, 
for  fear  it  would  just  run  away  with  me, 
and  I  would  forget  to  eat, — then  vanish 
into  thin  air  before  the  time  really 
camel"  And  a  playfully  tragic  shadow 
dominated  the  sparkling  gray-blue  eyes 
for  an  instant,  but  only  to  release  them 
again  to  the  high  lights  of  joy.  "Oh, 
girls,  hurry,  we  must  begin  this  minute! 
Where's  mother?" 

She  flew  on  then  through  the  broad 
hallway  with  all  the  impetuosity  of  a 


An  Announcement  Party 


child  of  ten,  this  young  maiden  of  twenty- 
two  with  a  gleaming  ring  on  the  engage- 
ment finger  and  matronly  dreams  sway- 
ing her  thoughts  full  four  years!  For 
Anne  Carter  and  Donald  Thornton  had 
really  loved  each  other  since  she  was  fif- 
teen and  he  seventeen,  but  it  had  taken 
them  several  years  to  find  it  out,  which 
was  all  the  better  for  both,  and  then  there 
had  been  four  years  more  during  which 
Donald  had  been  working  his  way  up  in 
his  father's  business,  an  international  one, 
including  England  and  America  in  its 
activities. 

"I  don't  want  father  to  have  to  support 
me,  don't  you  know,  when  I  marry,"  he 
had  said  to  Anne.  "Of  course  the  home 
is  waiting  for  us,  and  father  longing  to 
have  you  there,  but — well,  when  I  set  up 
an  establishment,  even  if  father  is  there, 
I  don't  want  him  to  meet  the  bills." 


Anne's  Wedding 


And  so  Anne  had  waited  patiently  till 
Donald  had  made  good  in  the  business 
world  and  was  able  to  do  his  part  in 
maintaining  the  ancestral  home  of  his 
English  mother,  with  titled  antecedents, 
in  adequate  style  and  dignity.  This  had 
been  much  more  easily  and  quickly  ac- 
complished because  all  the  youth's  train- 
ing had  been  with  reference  to  the  busi- 
ness he  was  to  assume.  This  training 
had  included  two  years  in  a  little  Alabama 
town  at  a  college  near  his  American 
grandparents,  for  his  father  had  been  of 
the  South  and  he  wished  the  boy  to  know 
and  love  it.  There  was  the  strongest 
bond  between  the  two,  and  love  and  loy- 
alty to  his  father  had  spurred  the  young 
man  on  to  rapid  grasp  of  the  business  al- 
most as  urgently  as  the  sweet  call  across 
the  water  from  the  Southern  girl  to  whom 
he  had  plighted  his  faith.  Now  word 


An  Announcement  Party 


had  come  from  him  that  a  date  must  be 
set  as  early  as  possible  for  the  marriage. 
Anne  found  "Mother"  without  diffi- 
culty, for  this  tale  belongs  to  a  period 
when  mothers  were  always  easily  found. 
Her  serene  face,  full  of  the  home  repose 
of  two  decades  ago,  bent  above  a  bit  of 
sewing  in  her  own  room  and  was  instantly 
lifted,  smiling  and  ready  at  Anne's  step. 
One  revealing  glance  between  the  two, 
and  throwing  her  lithe  figure  at  mother's 
feet,  like  the  little  girl  of  years  before, 
Anne  hid  the  beaming  face  in  her  lap  and 
handed  up  the  letter  for  mother  to  read. 
Somehow  there  were  no  words  for  her 
message  now,  and  there  had  never  been 
any  secrets  between  this  daughter-of-the- 
heart  and  mother-instead  who  had  lived 
under  the  same  roof  as  members  of  what 
had  come  to  be  playfully  known  as  "The 
Blossom  Shop  Family."  It  was  in  a 


'Anne's  Wedding 


sense  a  composite  family,  but  the  varying 
elements  were  so  homogeneous  that  the 
pretty  title  fitted  admirably.  Mr.  Car- 
ter, a  widower  with  two  girls  nine  and 
eleven,  Anne  and  May,  had  married  Mrs. 
Grey,  a  widow  with  one  small  girl,  Gene, 
of  eight,  who  had,  just  before  the  mar- 
riage, been  healed  by  skillful  surgeons  of 
congenital  blindness.  Mrs.  Grey  and  lit- 
tle Gene,  named  Eugene  for  her  father, 
had  supported  themselves  for  years  before 
on  Mrs.  Grey's  old  home  place  next  door 
to  the  Carters  by  packing  and  sending  to 
Northern  markets  flowers  from  their 
ample  garden,  and  they  had  then  first 
termed  the  old  home  The  Blossom  Shop. 
The  place  was  finally  devastated  by  fire, 
and  an  accident  to  an  old  trunk  as  their 
household  things  were  hurriedly  moved, 
had  revealed  a  lost  will  which  restored  to 
Gene  the  fortune  denied  her  father,  and 


An  Announcement  Party 


brought  her  into  contact  with  the  un- 
known Northern  relatives  of  her  father, 
to  whom  she  and  her  mother  became 
greatly  attached,  in  spite  of  strong  pre- 
vious prejudice  on  both  sides.  Then  the 
marriage  followed  which  united  mother 
and  child  with  their  dearest  friends,  the 
Carters. 

Anne's  letter  from  Donald  was  at  last 
read  by  mother  and  daughter  together, 
the  young  cheek  pressed  close  against  the 
older  one,  and  it  revealed  the  fact  that 
some  "jolly  good  things"  had  come  along 
unexpectedly  in  the  business,  and  made 
immediate  plans  possible  for  Donald,  and 
wouldn't  Anne  please  hurry  those  mys- 
terious preparations  brides  seem  to  have 
to  make  and  set  a  day  in  early  spring? 
It  was  then  just  at  the  close  of  the  Christ- 
mas holiday  time,  a  brief  space  in  which 
to  prepare  a  young  Southern  girl,  who 


Anne's  Wedding 


thought  little  about  fashions,  to  present 
herself  in  the  midst  of  an  old  English 
family  and  claim  a  place  among  them. 
No  wonder  she  had  fluttered  bewilder- 
ingly  when  the  long-looked-for  moment 
really  came,  and  it  was  only  the  mother- 
instead  who  could  have  so  quickly  turned 
her  thought  into  orderly,  though  still 
joyful  lines.  The  entire  trousseau  was 
not  planned  on  the  spot,  as  was  first 
threatened,  but  there  was  a  going-over  of 
many  things  between  the  two,  which  was 
a  profitable  and  very  precious  prelimi- 
nary. 

The  holiday  time  meant  that  May  was 
at  home  from  a  mid-West  university, 
where  she  was  taking  a  course  in  modern 
language,  for  this  great  university's 
stamping  and  finishing  of  the  thorough 
schooling  which  she  had  taken  in  the 
home  college;  Gene  Carter  Grey  (the 


An  Announcement  Party  9 

Carter  had  been  inserted  when  the  fami- 
lies combined),  her  inseparable  compan- 
ion, had  not  gone  with  her,  for  she  was 
taking  a  year  of  rest  before  entering  a 
New  England  college,  that  her  education 
might  be  topped  off,  she  would  have  said, 
in  the  native  land  of  her  fore-fathers.  Dr. 
Murton — Uncle  Doctor,  as  the  girls  had 
come  to  call  him — and  his  wife,  Gene's 
Aunt  Martha,  were  there  as  they  always 
were  for  Christmas,  and  last  but  not  least, 
in  some  respects,  was  Murton  Grey  Car- 
ter, the  young  son  of  the  house,  a  sturdy 
boy — some  eight  years  old.  He  could 
make  more  noise  than  all  the  rest  put  to- 
gether, he  would  have  said  .himself,  and 
he  certainly  was  not  to  be  left  out  in  any 
reckoning.  So  there  was  a  big  family 
council  possible,  and  Anne  at  once  de- 
cided there  must  be  tea  at  the  Blossom 
Shop. 


10  Anne's  Wedding 

This  material  Blossom  Shop,  which 
had  been  built  on  the  site  of  Mrs.  Car- 
ter's old  home,  was  a  picturesque,  low 
building  of  East  Indian  architecture, 
whose  sloping  roof  dropped  from  its  high 
apex  in  deep,  graceful  curves  to  cover 
generously  the  broad  veranda  all  around 
its  sides,  with  an  upward  tilt  of  the  roof 
again  at  the  quaint  pillars.  Within  there 
was  a  wide  fireplace  for  chilly  days,  the 
broad  chimney  on  the  inner  wall  being 
highly  ornamental.  The  rafters  were  ex- 
posed, the  walls  were  ceiled  with  beauti- 
ful Southern  pine  and  the  deep  window- 
ledges  were  filled  with  growing,  indoor 
plants,  while  Marechal  Neil  roses  cov- 
ered the  exterior  with  riotous  bloom  and 
fragrance.  The  whole  family,  includ- 
ing Uncle  Doctor  and  Aunt  Martha,  had 
given  great  interest  and  study  to  the  plan- 
ning of  the  building,  intended  as  a  play- 


An  Announcement  Party          11 

house  for  the  growing  children,  with  ten- 
nis court  and  croquet  grounds  in  the  rear, 
and  the  result  was  a  beautiful  and  artistic 
building  within  and  without,  which  they 
all  loved.  It  was  always  the  place  for 
joyful  events,  especially  surprise  revela- 
tions, so  when  May  and  Gene  plied  Anne 
again  with  questions,  she  only  put  a  fin- 
ger to  her  lips  and  gayly  announced :  "Tea 
in  the  Blossom  Shop,  girls,"  which  might 
mean  anything  delightful  and  mysterious. 

Then  she  went  next  for  Mammy  Sue, 
the  old  colored  nurse  who  had  been 
mother  to  her  and  May  for  a  number  of 
years  before  their  father  had  married 
Mrs.  Grey,  and  engaged  her  to  come  and 
wait  upon  the  table  at  tea  instead  of  the 
young  colored  maid  who  usually  per- 
formed that  service. 

"It's  for  something  very  special,  Mam- 
my Sue,"  cried  the  girl  with  delightful  in- 


12  Anne's  Wedding 

sinuation,  and  Mammy  Sue  was  more 
flattered  to  be  wanted  there  than  had  she 
been  bidden  to  a  feast  with  the  highest  of 
the  land. 

"Bring  Uncle  Sam,  too,"  Anne  called 
back,  as  she  started  away  from  the  cabin 
to  the  house  again.  "He  can  pour  the 
water,"  she  added,  knowing  that  he  must 
have  some  part  in  it.  Uncle  Sam,  an  old 
servant  of  Mrs.  Carter,  was  Mammy 
Sue's  husband  of  late  years,  and  the  two 
were  devoted  to  all  the  children  of  the 
combined  families.  Their  light,  their 
joy,  all  they  knew  of  earthly  hope  and 
expectation  was  bound  up  in  "dem  chil- 
lun." 

As  Mr.  Carter  came  in  from  business — 
tall,  somewhat  commanding,  with  the  re- 
serve of  the  older  fatherhood  upon  him — 
he,  too,  was  met  by  Anne  with  "Tea  in 
The  Blossom  Shop,  father!"  But  eyes 


An  Announcement  Party  13 

which  would  not  cease  their  sparkle, 
though  lips  were  very  demure,  made  the 
father  search  his  daughter's  face  keenly, 
while  his  heart  gave  a  quick,  startled 
throb.  The  thought  of  Anne's  going  so 
far  away  to  make  her  home  was  an  ever 
present  regret.  He  asked  no  question  at 
the  end,  but  she — with  quick  responsive 
tears  for  something  in  his  face — threw 
her  arms  about  his  neck.  That  was  all 
between  the  two,  but  it  had  told  the  news, 
and  volumes  besides. 

With  a  blazing  log  on  the  hearth,  light- 
ing up  the  ceiled  walls,  exposed  arching 
rafters,  beautifully  carved  interior  chim- 
ney and  growing  window  plants  and 
vines,  the  simplest  tea  in  the  Blossom 
Shop  was  always  a  pretty  affair,  and  this 
time  the  table  was  made  gay  with  quickly 
improvised  favors:  little  rolls  of  Christ- 
mas green  tissue,  ribbon-tied  in  white, 


14  Anne's  Wedding 

each  with  a  clear  label  marked  "Secret." 

"Well,"  said  Uncle  Doctor,  "who  can 
eat  with  a  secret  hanging  fire  like  that?" 
And  he  set  an  example  which  the  rest  im- 
mediately followed,  by  opening  his  roll 
at  once,  to  find  a  small,  dainty  card  upon 
which  was  written  in  Anne's  clear  hand : 
"You  are  cordially  invited  to  attend  the 
wedding  of  Anne  Carter  and  Donald 
Thornton  on  May  first,  18— 

Really  the  Murtons,  including  Murton 
Grey,  were  the  only  ones  to  be  greatly 
surprised,  though  Anne's  father  looked 
up  with  a  gentle  objecting  shake  of  the 
head  over  the  early  date  set. 

Murton  Grey  said  promptly  with  boy- 
ish indignation,  "Who  says  so?  I  don't 
believe  it.  Is  it  true,  mother?" 

'Well,  son,"  she  smiled  back  with  de- 
termined cheer,  "I  don't  think  any  of  us 
are  quite  prepared  to  believe  it,  but  a 


An  Announcement  Party  15 

letter  that  came  this  afternoon  said  some 
very  decisive  things." 

"Anne  shan't  go  away  across  the  ocean 
to  live,  if  she  does  get  married!  I'm  go- 
ing to  run  off  with  her  myself  before  Don- 
ald comes  for  her,"  said  Murton  Grey,  in 
bragging,  childish  futility  against  the  in- 
evitable. 

Everybody  laughed,  and  Anne  said, 
"Oh,  I'll  tell  you  what  will  happen,  Mur- 
ton Grey,  I'm  going  to  pack  you  in  one 
of  my  trunks  and  run  off  with  you!" 

A  very  pleasing  prospect  that — Murton 
Grey  would  like  nothing  better  than  such 
a  lark,  and  in  his  imagination  holes  were 
already  in  the  top  of  the  trunk  for  him  to 
breathe  through — but  he  looked  up  at 
mother,  and  then  at  father,  and  his  bright 
face  was  uncertain ;  then  at  Anne  again — 
and  he  did  want  to  be  with  her  always. 

There  was  a  special  bond  between  him 


16  Anne's  Wedding 

and  Anne;  she  had  saved  his  life,  some- 
how, he  had  in  mind,  though  she  always 
said  with  a  shadow  in  her  eyes,  "No,  I 
almost  lost  it  for  you  by  leaving  you  in 
your  carriage  to  run  down  hill  into  the 
creek.  It  was  Donald's  big  dog  Rex  that 
saved  you." 

Just  how  that  was,  did  not  matter 
much,  but  Murton  Grey  knew  that  Anne 
had  always  loved  him  in  a  way  she  did 
no  one  else.  He  did  not  dream,  however, 
that  she  had  whispered  to  herself  over 
him,  many  and  many  a  time,  "My  first 
baby!" — vaguely  knowing  that  through 
him  she  came  into  womanhood  after  a 
terrible  travail  of  anguish  and  remorse 
for  heedless  neglect  when  he  had  been 
left  to  her  care,  and  only  a  merciful  provi- 
dence prevented  his  rolling  down  the 
wooded  slope  back  of  their  home  into  the 
swift-running  creek  after  spring  rains. 


An  Announcement  Party          17 

Uncle  Doctor  had  a  special  tie  with 
Anne,  too,  on  account  of  her  badness  as 
a  child,  both  agreed ;  in  accordance  with 
the  theory  that  like  attracts  like,  the  doc- 
tor always  added.  He  sat  now  looking 
earnestly  at  the  girl,  as  though  he  could 
not  or  would  not  believe  that  she  was  so 
soon  to  be  married  and  leave  them;  while 
Mammy  Sue,  waiting  on  the  table  in  a 
freshly  starched  dress  and  white  apron 
and  spotless  head  handkerchief,  crumpled 
suddenly  so  she  could  hardly  stand,  and 
Uncle  Sam,  moving  around  feebly,  but 
proudly,  to  pour  the  water,  shook  his  head 
mournfully. 

Aunt  Martha,  quick  to  see  that  the  lit- 
tle announcement  party  was  in  a  fair  way 
to  fall  into  gloom,  came  to  the  rescue  by 
exclaiming,  "Another  Blossom  Shop  wed- 
ding I  It  is  eight  years  since  ours  took 
place  here!"  And  the  doctor,  reminded 


18  Anne's  Wedding 

of  that  happy  event,  the  crowning  one  in 
his  life  after  years  of  fruitless  longing  for 
Miss  Martha  Grey,  the  seemingly  unat- 
tainable New  England  spinster,  put  self- 
ishness out  of  the  way  and  made  merry 
in  a  fashion  of  which  he  only  was  capable. 
When  supper  was  over,  Anne  went  to 
the  kitchen  and  told  the  news  of  her  com- 
ing marriage  to  the  housemaid  and  the 
cook,  and  the  cook's  daughter,  Cahaba, 
a  colored  girl  who  had  grown  up  with 
the  girls  and  whom  Aunt  Martha  had  ed- 
ucated in  a  Southern  college  for  colored 
girls.  She  was  now  teaching  in  the  town, 
but  was  always  at  the  Carters  to  help  in 
any  way  she  could,  out  of  school  hours. 
Anne  knew  they  were  all  very  interested 
to  hear  what  had  been  going  on  in  the 
Blossom  Shop,  and  she  could  not  deny 
them  the  pleasure  of  sharing  her  glad  ex- 
pectations. So  she  told  them  all,  and  the 


An  Announcement  Party  19 

hilarity  with  which  it  was  received  here 
fully  made  up  for  any  lack  of  enthusiasm 
from  the  family. 

"Oh,  Miss  Anne,  is  you  really  going  to 
be  married?" 

"An'  go  'way  off  'cross  the  ocean?" 
added  another. 

"I  tell  you  dat's  fine!  I  bet  der  won't 
be  anudder  girl  in  dis  town  what  does 
datl"  This  last  was  from  the  cook,  who 
had  no  idea  what  going  across  the  ocean 
meant,  but  it  was  something  few  folks  did 
that  she  ever  heard  about,  and,  of  course, 
it  was  something  grand! 

Cahaba  did  not  speak,  but  her  eyes, 
like  big  black  beads,  danced  with  the  in- 
spiration of  a  sudden  hope.  She  was  of 
the  genuine  negro  type,  black  as  a  coal, 
but  slender  of  figure,  alert,  resourceful 
and  with  a  remarkable  gift  for  mimicry. 
When  Anne  left  she  followed  into  the 


20  Anne's  Wedding 

hall  and  whispered,  "Let  me  go  'long  as 
lady's  maid!" 

"Sure  enough,"  returned  Anne,  stop- 
ping, "but  what  about  the  teaching?" 

"I'll  learn  more,  and  teach  better,  some 
day,"  said  Cahaba,  promptly. 

"We'll  see,"  laughed  Anne,  as  she  went 
on,  and,  thinking  it  over  as  she  went,  she 
decided  that  it  would  be  fine,  sure  enough. 
Cahaba  was  so  sensible  and  so  genteel  and 
really  refined  with  her  schooling — but  it 
was  not  a  matter  that  held  her  thought 
just  then  with  any  seriousness.  Next  day, 
Saturday,  she  was  in  the  pantry  a  moment 
hunting  a  tea-cake — an  old  girlish  habit 
— the  pantry  had  an  open  window  on  the 
rear  porch,  and  she  heard  Cahaba's  voice 
in  eloquent  discourse  to  somebody. 
Peeping  out  she  saw  it  was  the  housemaid 
who  was  listener. 

"You   jus'    oughter   see    Miss   Anne's 


An  Announcement  Party.          21 

beau,"  she  was  saying;  "he  don't  look  any 
more  like  the  young  fellows  'round  here 
than  a  thorough-bred  horse  does  like  some 
rack-a-bones  belonging  to  poor  white- 
trash.  He's  quality,  sure  enough!  I 
knew  that  when  I  used  to  see  'em  playing 
tennis  and  croquet  over  there  in  the  Blos- 
som Shop  yard,  and  he  was  so  straight  and 
looked  so  high,  his  head  always  up,  and 
then  so  gentlemanly  to  Miss  Anne — 
though  they  did  fuss  something  terrible 
after  a  while!  Sometimes  they'd  act  jus' 
like  they  didn't  know  the  other  was  on 
the  earth,  but  jus'  the  same  I  knew  they 
were  watching  each  other,  out  the  corners 
of  their  eyes.  Then  they  made  a  trip 
across  the  ocean  together — the  doctor  and 
Miss  Martha  took  Miss  Anne,  and  he 
went  'long  at  the  same  time  to  see  his 
father — and  they  went  to  his  house  and 
saw  his  mother's  portrait  hanging  over 


22  Anne's  Wedding 

the  mantel,  in  a  velvet  dress,  and  lace  as 
fine  as  cobwebs  around  her  throat  and 
hands,  just  like  life;  and  Miss  Anne  says 
it  does  seem  like  she  is  there  all  the  time, 
Mr.  Donald  and  his  father  love  her  so. 
After  all  that,  I  jus'  knew  they  was  as  sure 
to  marry  as  to-morrow  was  to  come. 
When  he  came  back  the  next  year  to  go  to 
school  again  they  both  seemed  so  grown 
up,  and  Miss  Anne  would  sing  to  him 
something  beautiful — for  you  know  she's 
one  of  these  'primer-donners'  at  singing, 
and  he  called  on  her  in  the  parlor,  and 
they  was  mighty  good  friends,  I  tell  you, 
but  Miss  Anne  says  they  wasn't  thinking 
'bout  being  engaged  till  long  after  he  went 
home  the  last  time!  I  don't  know  what 
they  was  thinking  'bout  then — it  beats  me! 
For  he  was  handsome  as  a  picture  by  this 
time  and  Miss  Anne  was  growing  pret- 
tier and  prettier  every  day — but  this  here 


An  Announcement  Party 


love  business  there  ain't  no  telling  'bout." 
Anne  listened  in  smiling  fascination 
to  this  account  of  her  love  affai'r  and 
the  glowing  descriptions  of  Donald  espe- 
cially held  her  to  the  spot  while  tea-cakes 
were  forgotten. 

Cahaba's  graphic  tongue  then  turned  to 
the  present,  and  she  began  strutting  about 
the  porch. 

"I  tell  you,  me  and  Miss  Anne  are  go- 
ing to  be  big  folks !  We  won't  be  speak- 
ing to  niggers  like  you,  when  we  come 
home  on  visits.  Why,  Miss  Anne  will 
be  having  a  cloth  of  gold  dress,  and  it  will 
be  trimmed  in  diamonds  all  round  the 
bottom  and  the  low  neck  and  the  teeny 
short  sleeves,  which  will  show  those 
lovely  arms  of  hers !  Then,  of  course,  she 
will  be  having  a  white  satin  and  it  will 
be  embroidered  in  silver — not  just  tinsel, 
but  real  silver — and  beautiful  pearls  as 


24  Anne's  Wedding 

big  as  butter  beans !  Then  oh,  how  it  will 
train,"  while  she  swept  across  the  porch 
with  an  imaginary  train  of  prodigious 
length  following  her.  "And  /  will  be 
putting  'em  all  on  her — for  I'm  to  go  with 
her  as  her  'lady's  maid'! 

"Then  she'll  have  one  of  them  crowns, 
made  of  gold  and  diamonds,  on  her  head 
— you  see,  in  England  there  are  Kings  and 
Queens  and  folks  like  Miss  Anne,  that's 
real  quality,  wears  crowns  every  day!" 
With  the  advantage  of  education  she 
could  impress  her  untutored  hearer  to  the 
nth  degree. 

Anne,  listening,  was  convulsed  by  this 
time,  and  she  exclaimed  inwardly,  "Oh, 
Cahaba,  no  amount  of  schooling  can  tone 
down  your  imagination!"  Then  she 
slipped  away  to  laugh  over  it  with  her 
mother,  Aunt  Martha,  May  and  Gene. 

With  the  listening  maid  taking  in  and 


An  Announcement  Party  25 

passing  on  every  word  from  Cahaba,  Anne 
became  Queen  of  the  household,  indeed, 
treated  with  wonderful  deference  by  serv- 
ants, and  with  a  tender  holding-close  from 
her  loved  ones  who  were  so  soon  to  lose 
her. 


CHAPTER  II 

GOWNS  AND  CROWNS 


v^HRISTMAS  over,  a  temporary  sep- 
aration must  take  place  at  once  for  this 
pleasant  family  group.  May  was  the 
first  to  go,  as  she  must  be  promptly  back 
at  school  for  the  after-holiday  opening. 

They  sent  her  off  one  morning  early, 
with  her  always  rosy  cheeks  fresh-flushed 
from  excitement  of  the  coming  trip,  her 
dark  eyes  alert,  and  animation  in  every 
movement  from  the  pretty  hair,  which 
matched  her  eyes,  to  the  trim,  well-dressed 
feet.  She  was  the  red  rose  in  her  garden 
of  girls,  the  mother  said — the  Blossom 

26 


Gowns  and  Crowns  27 

Shop  idea  for  the  family  being  always  in 
her  consciousness — and  May  was  devel- 
oping into  a  very  attractive  girl  whose 
student  tendencies  kept  social  desires 
pretty  well  balanced.  She  could  not  live 
to  be  twenty  in  a  Southern  town  without 
feeling  strong  social  appeal,  but  the  fam- 
ily had  traveled  a  good  deal  to  the  North 
and  East,  and  she  also  felt  strong  inclina- 
tions toward  higher  study. 

"I  am  too  lazy  to  do  anything  else  but 
study  and  read,"  she  often  laughingly  said. 
"I  don't  like  housework  a  bit,  though  I 
am  glad  mother  made  me  learn  how  to 
do  all  sorts  of  things.  I  am  not  going  to 
marry,  though"  (with  the  calm,  unalter- 
able decisiveness  of  youth),  "I  am  going 
to  teach  and  sit  in  a  rocking-chair  and 
study  1" 

So  there  was  an  end  of  it. 

The  family,  assembled  at  the  little  sta- 


28  Anne's  Wedding 

tion  not  far  from  their  home,  waved  her 
good-by  from  the  platform,  while  her 
rosy  face  looked  back  from  a  window, 
and  she  waved  her  handkerchief  in  re- 
turn as  long  as  she  could  see  a  faint  speck 
of  the  old  home  town — never  dreaming 
how  unexpectedly  all  plans  may  be 
changed. 

Uncle  Doctor,  Aunt  Martha  and  Gene 
went  next,  a  morning  or  two  later.  They 
were  off  for  a  trip  to  the  iron  and  moun- 
tain regions  of  the  State  where  little 
blind  children  might  be  hidden  away 
needing  treatment,  perhaps,  which  would 
make  the  world  a  place  of  light  and  hope 
and  beauty  for  them.  Gene  had  a  large 
fortune  at  her  disposal,  her  mother  having 
lost  her  share  of  Mr.  Grey's  estate  upon 
her  marriage  to  Mr.  Carter,  and  she,  with 
her  Aunt  Martha's  help,  had  established 
in  the  East  a  sanatorium  for  the  blind,  to 


Goivns  and  Crowns  29 

which  sightless  children  could  go  without 
money  or  price  for  treatment.  Gene's 
first  thought,  after  her  own  restoration, 
had  been  for  other  children  who  could 
not  see,  and  she,  Aunt  Martha  and  the 
doctor  had  worked  out  plans  for  the  sana- 
torium and  for  reaching  needy  children. 
In  the  South  these  children  were  to  be 
found  largely  in  the  mountains,  for  blind- 
ness is  peculiarly  prevalent  through  all 
the  Appalachian  range,  whose  people 
have  been  hidden  away  in  inaccessible 
fastnesses,  multiplying  and  bringing  forth 
generation  after  generation  from  the  finest 
Anglo-Saxon  stock  in  America,  in  a  prim- 
itive ignorance  and  isolation  that  is  unbe- 
lievable to  those  who  have  not  investi- 
gated these  regions.  The  little  party 
planned  the  trip  for  mid-winter,  as  the 
traveling  would  be  better  than  when -the 
spring  rains  came  on.  It  would  be  plea- 


30  Anne's  Wedding 

sant  to  be  out  in  the  open,  too,  in  the  fresh, 
crisp  winter  air. 

As  they  stood  on  the  platform  at  the 
station  waiting  for  the  little  train  to  get 
ready  to  make  a  start — always  an  uncer- 
tain event — the  doctor,  big  and  sturdy, 
affectionately  dictatorial  and  kindly  hu- 
morous, blustered  about  in  his  restless 
way,  his  hat  coming  off  frequently  to 
stroke  an  unruly  white  forelock  that  the 
girls  had  always  loved.  Aunt  Martha 
was  her  usual  trim  self,  immaculately 
dressed,  her  slender  figure  and  fresh  face 
belying  the  snow-white  hair.  Gene,  the 
third  traveler,  was  the  delicate  pink  and 
gold  rose  of  her  mother's  garden — and  it 
fitted  her  well ;  she  was  slightly  built  and 
delicately  poised;  her  face  was  fair  with 
only  shell-pink  in  the  cheeks;  the  eyes 
were  sky  blue,  and  the  hair  a  crown 
of  soft,  curling  gold.  "My  Marechal 


Gowns  and  Crowns  31 

Neil,"  her  mother  sometimes  whispered 
in  her  ear,  "all  the  soft  tints  of  the  rain- 
bow which  are  gathered  in  its  petals,  make 
me  think  of  you."  She  was  a  mother  who 
said  dear  things,  sometimes,  to  her  chil- 
dren. 

"We  will  put  red  roses  in  Gene's  cheeks 
while  we  tramp  about  the  mountains," 
said  the  doctor  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter 
as  they  waited.  "Anne,"  turning  to  her, 
"don't  let  those  letters  between  you  and 
Donald  plow  the  ocean  too  constantly— 
they  might  bring  ship-wreck  to  some- 
body." 

He  loved  to  tease  Anne  about  those 
letters — and  then  the  train  showed  signs 
of  starting  by  sending  forth  a  sudden 
sharp  whistle,  and  the  three  travelers  were 
soon  waving  good-by  from  slowly  retreat- 
ing windows  while  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter, 
Anne  and  Murton  Grey  waved  in  return. 


32  Anne's  Wedding 

With  the  family  back  to  the  normal, 
Anne  and  Mrs.  Carter  could  take  up  the 
matter  of  a  trousseau. 

Anne  was  her  mother's  "Dorothy  Per- 
kins" of  the  garden.  Full  of  warm  pink 
glow,  her  light  brown  hair  catching  every 
bit  of  sunlight,  her  gray-blue  eyes  full  of 
laughter,  her  capable  hands  strong  and 
firm,  she  was  indeed  like  the  sturdy  pink 
rambler  running  swiftly  here  and  there, 
throwing  out  a  profusion  of  bloom  and 
fragrance  in  response  to  sun  and  rain. 

Always  enthusiastic,  Anne  had  thought 
of  a  thousand  things  she  would  and  would 
not  get  for  that  trousseau.  Now,  mother 
could  sit  down  with  her  and  talk  it  all 
over  definitely.  A  nice  store  of  dainty  un- 
dergarments had  been  growing  for  sev- 
eral years,  Anne  putting  many  careful 
stitches  into  whipped  ruffles  and  lace  and 
beautiful  embroidery;  these  were  ready, 


Gowns  and  Crowns  33 

and  gowns  and  wraps  and  hats  were  the 
things  to  think  of  now. 

"Let's  picture  how  you  must  look,"  said 
Mrs.  Carter  brightly,  as  they  sat  together 
in  her  room;  "but  we  must  try  to  forget 
Cahaba's  magnificence,"  she  laughed, 
uand  we  won't  plan  the  crowns  just 
yet! 

"You  must  be  well  dressed  always — 
everything  you  have  of  good — even  fine 
material,  and  while  there  must  be  beauty, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  there  must  also  be 
dignity." 

"Oh,  mother,  you  scare  me,"  cried  Anne 
wide-eyed;  "you  know  dignity  is  not  my 
strong  point!" 

The  mother  laughed,  "Not  stiff  dig- 
nity, no,  but  you  are  not  lacking  in  the 
sort  of  dignity  I  mean,  when  occasion  re- 
quires. As  I  see  you  gowned  for  pres- 
entation to  the  Queen,  perhaps,  I  can  see 


34  Anne's  Wedding 

without  a  bit  of  strained  imagination  all 
the  dignity  and  poise  I  want  to  see." 

"Mother,"  cried  Anne  again,  "do  you 
think  I  can  ever  stand  before  the  Queen 
of  England  and  not  die  on  the  spot?" 

"I  know  you  can,"  laughed  the  mother 
once  more,  then  with  a  sweet  dignity 
which  was  one  of  her  own  chief  charms, 
she  added,  "Americans  have  no  need  to 
lose  their  self-respect  before  any  Queen." 

After  Anne  had  had  time  to  bring  her 
American  pride  up  to  the  proper  stand- 
ard, Mrs.  Carter  went  on  brightly: 
"There  must  be  heavy  white  satin  for  the 
wedding  gown  itself,  we  will  wish  that 
for  you — and  it  may  be  needed  at  that 
aforesaid  presentation  1" 

"Every  time  you  say  anything  like  that 
the  delightful  shivers  will  continue  to 
run  right  up  my  back,"  cried  the  girl; 
then  quickly  added,  in  spite  of  shivers, 


35 


"and  there  will  be  a  long  veil,  won't  there 
— with  orange  blossoms?"  she  ended 
breathlessly. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  smiled  the  mother. 
"There  must  also  be  a  black  velvet  gown 
ready  for  the  family  laces  of  which  Don- 
ald has  told  you,  and  evening  gowns  for 
various  affairs,  with  at  least  a  couple  of 
silks  and  two  or  three  walking  suits  of 
fine  woolen  goods — the  English  are  great 
walkers,  you  know,  and  always  dress  suit- 
ably for  it — do  not  wear  just  anything  for 
a  walk,  as  we  are  likely  to  do.  You  will 
have  to  observe  very  closely  and  conform 
to  English  standards,  for  Donald's  sake." 

"Oh,  but,  mother,  do  you  think  I  can 
ever  be  discerning  enough  to  see  just  what 
I  should  do?"  And  there  was  alarm  in 
the  young  voice. 

"I  know  you  will,"  said  the  mother, 
firmly  reassuring.  "You  are  really  no 


36  Anne's  Wedding 

longer  the  old  heedless  Anne — and  love  is 
a  wonderful  guide  for  a  woman !" 

Anne's  lovely  face  took  on  a  bit  of  ex- 
altation as  she  pledged  in  her  heart  loy- 
alty to  that  guiding  love  even  in  the  small- 
est detail  of  the  coming  life  in  a  new-old 
world,  with  its  fixed  standards  and  royal 
ways. 

"It  is  going  to  cost  lots  of  money  to  get 
all  those  fine  things  and  make  my  trous- 
seau what  it  should  be,  isn't  it,  mother?" 
she  asked  after  a  time,  anxiously,  when  all 
the  details  had  been  talked  over. 

Mrs.  Carter's  smile  was  ready  again. 
"Oh,  yes,  your  father  and  I  have  thought 
of  this  all  along,  and  have  been  making 
provision  for  it.  We  feel  that  you  should 
have  everything  suitable  for  your  wed- 
ding outfit.  We  haven't  been  extrava- 
gant for  a  long  time,  but  we  are  going  to 
be  now!"  And  the  words  were  scarcely 


Gowns  and  Crowns  37 

out  before   she  was   smothered   by   two 
warm  arms  and  a  glowing  face. 

So  the  plans  were  made,  and  a  trip  at 
once  for  mother  and  daughter  to  New 
York  for  the  outfit  were  included  in  them ; 
Anne  sang  only  glorias  at  the  piano  in  her 
sweet,  high  soprano,  while  she  absolutely 
trod  on  air  during  the  daytime,  and  was 
apt  to  revel  by  night  in  gorgeous  gowns 
at  functions  where  Kings  and  Queens, 
Lords  and  Ladies  bowed  and  promenaded 
through  castle  and  tower  and  hall!  It 
was  fairy  land  come  true  for  her,  and 
through  it  all  the  days  hurried  on,  till  it 
was  the  one  before  their  intended  depar- 
ture for  New  York, — and  then  out  of  a 
clear,  sparkling  sky  came  the  hurrying 
cloud  of  calamity  which,  for  a  time, 
swept  all  life's  fairies  into  oblivion. 


CHAPTER  III 

FRUSTRATED  PLANS 


T, 


HE  last  thing  had  been  carefully 
placed  into  Anne's  trunk  for  the  journey 
to  New  York  and  she  was  gleefully  think- 
ing, "This  time  to-morrow  mother  and  I 
will  be  on  our  way,"  when  chancing  to 
glance  out  the  window,  she  saw  her  father 
coming  up  the  front  walk  with  hasty 
stride.  It  was  an  unusual  hour  for  him 
to  be  coming  home,  and  with  the  query  in 
mind  as  to  what  he  was  coming  for,  she 
ran  down  stairs  to  meet  him.  So  exu- 
berant and  loving  was  she  withal  that  any 
chance  for  fresh  contacts,  here  and  there, 
was  welcome. 

38 


Frustrated  Plans  39 

Her  face  was  beaming  as  she  opened 
the  door  at  his  touch  on  the  knob,  but  the 
gay  question,  "What  brings  you  home, 
honorable  father?"  (she  was  practicing  on 
formalities  these  days,  to  be  prepared  for 
association  with  royalty)  died  on  her  lips 
at  sight  of  his  grim  face.  He  did  not 
even  seem  to  see  her  as  he  strode  past, 
straight  to  her  mother's  room. 

Anne  caught  her  breath  with  dismay, 
and  as  he  mounted  the  stairs,  stood  look- 
ing after  him  like  one  stricken  herself. 

It  was  two  hours  before  there  was  a 
move  at  the  door  of  her  mother's  room; 
Anne  waited  out  the  time  in  her  own 
across  the  hall,  two  hours  of  intense  sus- 
pense, anxiety  and  dread.  She  prayed 
every  minute,  like  a  little  child  in  sudden 
distress.  At  last  her  father  came  out, 
and  rising  instantly,  she  looked  into  his 
face  to  see  the  tenseness  broken,  but  oh, 


40  Anne's  Wedding 

the  face,  the  dear  loved  face,  had  aged 
ten  years  since  the  morning!  Awed,  but 
quieted  with  the  childish  prayer,  she 
stepped  forward  and  put  out  her  hands 
to  him. 

He  took  them  in  a  grasp  that  almost 
hurt. 

"Daughter^  can  you  bear  disappoint- 
ment— the  undoing  of  all  your  plans"- 
then,  as  her  face  blanched  with  a  look  of 
terror,  he  added  quickly,  "Nothing  has- 
happened  to  Donald,  it  is  misfortune  for 
us  only — but  it  means  poverty,  child,  and 
no  wedding  things,  for  a  time,  anyway." 

That  would  have  been  the  very  acme  of 
calamity  a  few  seconds  before,  but  oh,  the 
swift,  cruel  vision  of  Donald — dead,  per- 
haps, made  anything  less  seem  as  nothing. 

Quickly  she  lifted  her  lips  to  his,  and 
said,  "Father,  I  can  bear  anything  that 
you  must  bear." 


Frustrated  Plans  41 

Her  young  womanhood,  though  richly 
threaded  with  girlish  enthusiasm,  was  a 
thing  strong  and  true  and  ready,  she  was 
going  to  prove. 

Holding  her  closely  a  minute,  her  fa- 
ther then  released  her,  saying  gently, 
"Your  mother  will  tell  you,"  and  was  gone 
again. 

She  did  not  have  to  wait  many  minutes 
before  the  mother's  door  opened.  "You 
may  come  now,  Anne,  and  we  will  talk 
about  it,"  was  the  bidding. 

The  mother's  voice  was  quiet,  and 
there  was  a  struggling  smile,  as  she  drew 
Anne  in.  "Father  has  told  you  some- 
thing, has  he  not?  Well,  dear,  it  does  not 
seem  the  calamity  to  me  that  it  does  to 
your  father,  for  I  have  met  poverty  be- 
fore," and  the  sweet,  womanly  face  put 
on  a  reminiscent,  old-time  bravery,  which 
had  carried  her  blithely  through  the  days 


42  Anne's  Wedding 

when  she  had  made  a  living  for  her  little 
blind  girl,  Gene,  Uncle  Sam  and  herself. 

"If  it  were  not  for  disturbing  your 
plans,  it  would  seem  almost  nothing,"  she 
added  quickly. 

"Mother,  I  have  met  my  Waterloo, 
found  it  a  merciful  myth,  and  I  am  going 
to  try  to  be  ready  for  anything,"  cried 
Anne,  smiling  bravely,  too.  Then,  see- 
ing the  mother's  puzzled  expression,  she 
went  on  quickly,  "Oh,  I  thought  some- 
thing had  happened  to  Donald!"  And 
the  words  were  almost  a  whisper,  drawing 
the  mother's  arms  about  her. 

"You  poor  child!"  she  exclaimed,  then, 
"Now,  let's  sit  down  and  talk  things 
over,"  and  the  girl  was  instantly  at  her 
feet,  looking  up  into  her  face,  prepared 
—determined  to  bear  what  she  must 
without  complaint. 

"The  trouble  is  just  this,"   said  the 


Frustrated  Plans  43 

mother,  with  the  simple  directness  that 
was  characteristic  of  her,  "your  father  be- 
came security  for  Colonel  Thompson  on 
a  note  some  years  ago.  It  was  merely  a 
form,  the  Colonel  said,  and  so  it  seemed, 
for  with  all  his  wealth  there  could  be  no 
danger.  But  it  is  rumored  that  he  has 
taken  to  gambling  lately  and  has  lost 
heavily — something  no  one  would  ever 
have  thought  him  capable  of — but  he  has 
spent  a  good  deal  of  time  away  it  seems, 
and  probably  has  been  gambling  on  cot- 
ton futures.  He  never  paid  that  note- 
has  put  the  parties  off  from  time  to  time, 
until  at  last  exasperated,  they  have 
brought  things  to  an  issue.  The  Colonel, 
knowing  that  this  was  to  come,  and  car- 
ing nothing  how  your  father  must  suffer, 
has  given  everything  he  had  left  to  his 
sister — who,  of  course,  will  only  hold  it 
nominally,  and  he  can  go  serenely  on  his 


44  Anne's  Wedding 

wicked  way  while  your  father  gives  up 
everything  he  has  in  the  world  to  pay  his 
debt."  The  womanly  face  grew  very  firm 
as  she  told  the  brief  tale,  and  Anne's  in- 
dignation rose  with  the  climax. 

"Mother,  can  such  a  thing  be?  It  is 
not  right!  He  ought  to  be  made  to  pay 
— not  my  father!"  She  had  to  pause  for 
breath. 

Mrs.  Carter  had  long  ago  seen  the  fu- 
tility of  rage  against  injustice,  and  the  bit- 
ter toll  exacted  from  him  who  harbors  it, 
so  she  relaxed  the  firm  lines  in  her  own 
face,  and  said,  "It  is  unjust  as  it  applies 
in  many  cases,  but  it  is  a  law  which  has 
been  found  to  be  good  for  business  as  a 
whole,  and  we  must  abide  by  its  decree 
with  the  best  grace  we  can — and  try  to 
forget  Colonel  Thompson  as  much  as  pos- 
sible." 

"I  can  neve r  forget  his  meanness !"  cried 


Frustrated  Plans  45 

Anne,  with  the  first  hate  of  her  life  shin- 
ing in  her  clear  gray-blue  eyes,  and  the 
mother  said  no  more,  for  she  knew  youth 
must  have  more  time  than  middle  life  to 
adjust  itself. 

"We  will  have  to  make  changes  in  our 
way  of  living,"  she  said  in  matter-of-fact 
manner.  "The  house,  you  know,  belongs 
to  you  and  May;  it  was  the  gift  of  your 
grandparents  to  you  at  their  death — so 
we  cannot  be  turned  out  of  house  and 
home,"  she  declared  brightly. 

Anne  could  not  lift  the  angry  cloud 
from  her  brow — for  anger  is  so  much 
easier  to  admit  than  to  expel,  so  she  only 
said  bitterly:  "Well,  I'm  glad  there  is 
one  thing  that  rascal  cannot  take  from 
us." 

Mrs.  Carter,  seeing  the  transformation 
in  that  hitherto  glad  young  face,  suddenly 
took  both  slim  hands  in  her  own  firmly. 


Anne's  Wedding 


"Anne,"  she  said,  "you  believe  I  would 
not  tell  anything  untrue,  do  you  not?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  girl  dully. 

"Well,  I  have  tried  hate  in  my  life, 
tried  it  for  years,  and  it  only  brings  the 
ashes  of  bitterness  to  any  one  who  harbors 
it.  I  have  resolved  never  to  let  any  in- 
justice, which  may  come  to  me  or  mine, 
dim  the  sunshine  for  one  day  with  the  an- 
ger and  resentment  of  my  own  heart. 
Just  think,  now,  what  it  will  mean  if  we 
begin  an  eternal  hatred  of  Colonel 
Thompson.  Any  bright,  beautiful  day 
we  may  start  out  with  gladness  in  every 
step — for  such  days  are  going  to  come  to 
us  again  in  spite  of  all  this — and  then  we 
chance  to  meet  Colonel  Thompson  on  the 
next  corner,  an'd  lo,  all  the  joy  of  life 
immediately  goes  out,  while  we  vent  our 
hate  upon — yes,  upon  a  shameless  man— 
who  is  not  worth  one  gleam  of  joy  from 


Frustrated  Plans  47 

our  'glad  morning  face,'  as  Stevenson  puts 
it.  Oh,  Anne,  trust  one  who  has  tried  it 
—promise  me  now,  before  hate  gets  deep- 
rooted  in  your  heart,  that  you  will  not 
harbor  it." 

The  compelling  earnestness  of  that  face 
which  was  so  dear  to  her,  and  that  voice 
which  had  been  so  safe  a  guide  for  many 
years,  broke  the  spell  of  hate  in  her  face, 
and  wondering  much  what  experience 
mother  could  have  ever  had  with  hate — a 
thing  so  foreign  to  any  knowledge  the  girl 
had  ever  had  of  that  gentle  personality— 
and  she  faltered-  at  last,  "I  will  promise 
to  try,  mother;  that  is  all  I  can  do  just 


now." 


"That  is  all  I  want,"  said  the  mother, 
for  she  knew  Anne  always  meant  what 
she  said,  and  would  make,  even  now,  a 
genuine  effort.  Then,  dropping  into  a 
playful  way  which  they  had  always  loved 


48  Anne's  Wedding 

as  children,  "You  know  we  are  a  Blossom 
Shop  family,  and  we  must  stick  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  flowers — not  begin  raising 
dank,  ugly  weeds !" 

They  laughed  a  little  together,  then  the 
mother  went  on  again  about  family  plans : 
the  servants  must  be  dismissed.  "I  don't 
know  about  Uncle  Sam  and  Mammy 
Sue,"  she  ended  with  troubled  voice; 
"they  need  us  more  than  we  do  them. 
Yes,  we  will  have  to  keep  and  care  for 
them — but  the  others  must  go, — and  how. 
fortunate  it  is  that  we  know  how  to  do 
things,  all  of  us!" 

"Yes,  I  am  glad  we  do,"  said  Anne  in 
colorless  response. 

"Now,  as  to  your  trousseau,"  went  on 
Mrs.  Carter,  pressing  the  girl's  hands 
again,  "we  will  manage  that,  somehow, 
after  a  bit — not  now,  perhaps." 

This  roused  Anne,  anB  stirred  all  the 


Frustrated  Plans  49 

sleeping  nobility  within  her.  She  had 
Donald — what  was  any  sacrifice  she  might 
need  to  make?  "Mother,  don't  think  of 
that  now.  I  will  write  to  Donald  at 
once"  (how  her  heart  swelled  with  joy 
that  she  could!),  "and  tell  him  we  are  in 
trouble,  and  don't  know  just  what  we  can 
do  for  a  while." 

Such  relief  came  to  the, anxious  mother 
in  that  satisfactory  moment  of  the  daugh- 
ter's testing,  she  almost  yielded  to  grate- 
ful tears ;  but  with  both  pairs  of  eyes  shin- 
ing through  a  watery  veil,  they  kissed  and 
separated,  each  to  think  things  out  in  her 
own  way. 

When  Anne  reached  her  room  she 
looked  long  at  Donald's  picture,  which  al- 
ways stood  on  her  dresser — so  life-like- 
light  hair  reached  back  from  a  broad, 
high  forehead,  frank,  smiling  face,  strong 
and  vivid  and  fine — and  told  him  things 


50  Anne's  Wedding 

not  intended  for  others;  then  she  slowly 
crossed  the  floor  and  sat  down  at  the  front 
window  facing  the  shrubs  and  flowers, 
hyacinths  and  jonquils  sending  up  their 
bells  and  trumpets  here  and  there,  mid- 
winter prophecies  of  bloom  and  fragrance 
on  the  way.  But  she  did  not  heed  the 
sweet,  familiar  scene  nor  its  prophecy. 
She  was  facing  life  in  a  new  way — love 
and  duty,  selfish-desire  and  family-loy- 
alty were  sternly  arrayed  against  each 
other. 

She  had  proclaimed  victory  but  a  few 
moments  before,  declared  she  had  met  her 
Waterloo  (Anne's  figures  of  speech  were 
always  of  English  origin),  proved  it  a 
merciful  myth  and  now  she  was  ready  for 
anything.  But  in  her  own  room,  which 
had  been  her  palace  of  dreams,  she  found 
that  in  the  talks  with  father  and  mother 
she  had  only  met  and  conquered  an  ad- 


Frustrated  Plans  51 

vance  guard  or  two,  and  that  a  real  battle 
was  now  before  her. 

Here,  on  her  snow-white  bed,  had  lain, 
in  imagination,  the  shimmering  wedding 
gown  and  filmy  veil ;  before  the  mirror 
she  had  stood  arrayed  in  its  soft  folds  with 
the  filmy  cloud  about  her — and  Donald, 
stepping  out  from  his  picture,  had  smiled 
high  approval  with  glistening  eyes  and 
proudful  lips — while  over  against  these 
stood  grim  duty  and  sacrifice. 

She  fell  back  a  little  as  the  pictures  of 
imagination    crowded    upon    her,    and 
pleaded:     "I  have  not  seen  him  for  so 
long — so  long — if  he  were  here,  no  great 
ocean  between  us,  it  would  be  different— 
and  the  day  is  set,  everything  planned— 
Oh,  I  cannot — cannot  wait!" 

Weakness  came:  she  knew  that  she  had 
only  to  write  to  Donald  of  family  troubles 
with  selfish  lament,  and  instantly  he 


52  Anne's  Wedding 

would  write  back  that  he  cared  nothing 
for  trousseaux — he  would  come  immedi- 
ately for  her — and  then  her  part  in  dis- 
agreeable new  conditions  at  home  would 
be  over. 

With  sudden  clarifying  vision  the  issue 
was  before  her:  should  she  do  this,  or  be 
true  to  her  best,  highest  self?  Should  she 
claim  weak  indulgence,  or  know  sacrifice 
and  be  strong? 

Impulsive  and  heedless  by  nature,  life 
had  already  given  Anne  some  valuable  les- 
sons, and  her  young  heart  had  found  a  bal- 
ance and  steadiness  not  always  acquired 
in  youth.  These  came  to  her  rescue. 

An  hour  later  and  the  best  had  won. 
Quietly  she  unfastened  a  jeweled  locket 
which  usually  hung  about  her  neck,  and 
opening  it,  looked  upon  her  own  mother's 
girlish  face — fair  counterpart  of  her  own, 
with  the  same  merry,  gray-blue  eyes.  It 


Frustrated  Plans  53 

had  been  her  talisman  for  good  since  her 
fifteenth  birthday. 

"Mother,  dearest,  you  had  to  leave  the 
one  you  loved — and  two  babies!"  she 
whispered. 

So  she  had  made  her  decision,  and  get- 
ting her  portfolio,  she  sat  down  with  her 
back  to  Donald's  picture,  and  wrote  the 
letter  telling  him  of  the  misfortune  that 
had  befallen  her  father,  and  that  not  only 
were  wedding  preparations  impossible 
just  now,  but  that  she  was  needed  in  fam- 
ily readjustment — mother  simply  could 
not  do  all  the  work,  May  was  away  at 
school  and  must  be  allowed  to  finish  her 
course  which  the  school  year  would  com- 
plete. Their  wedding  day  would  have 
to  be  postponed.  It  was  a  very  straight- 
forward, matter-of-fact  letter,  perhaps  a 
bit  rigid  in  its  determined  fidelity  to  duty, 
the  slender  hand  gripping  the  pen  tightly 


54  Anne's  Wedding 

as  she  wrote,  and  the  young  face  finding  a 
new,  stern  expression  which  gave  the 
fluffy  light  brown  hair,  the  sparkling 
gray-blue  eyes  and  the  warm  pink  cheeks 
emphatic  affront.  But,  duty  done,  the 
grieved  young  heart  plead  for  its  rights, 
and  there  followed  a  broken  little  para- 
graph which  told  of  yearning  and  renun- 
ciation between  its  lines. 

It  was  done  and  signed  and  sealed. 
Arranging  her  hair  with  ready  skill,  ac- 
cording to  a  habit  the  years  had  fixed,  she 
took  her  hat  from  the  wardrobe  shelf,  for 
she  was  an  orderly  young  woman,  re- 
fused again  to  see  Donald's  picture  as  she 
did  it,  for  she  must  not  weaken  now,  and 
went  to  post  the  letter  herself.  It  was 
her  first  experience  in  stepping  out  under 
a  smiling  sky,  with  the  air  fanning  her 
face  in  gentle  southern-winter  mildness, 
and  passing  along  familiar  streets  she  had 


Frustrated  Plans  55 

known  since  babyhood,  to  find  a  sense  of 
strangeness  in  it  all;  a  shadow  beneath 
the  smiling  sky,  not  cast  by  any  floating 
material  cloud,  a  brooding  silence  in  the 
soft  air,  an  alien  look  on  familiar  scenes 
which  put  a  spell  of  awed  depression  upon 
the  young  spirit.  But  the  exercise  in 
warm  sun  and  pleasant  air  refreshed  her 
in  the  end,  bringing  her  back  to  the  nor- 
mal as  she  was  forced  to  meet  young 
friends  on  the  way  home,  and  to  laugh  and 
chat  with  them  as  usual.  Which  was 
well,  for  she  must  learn  the  artifices  of 
bravery,  as  well  as  resigned  endurance. 

At  supper  father  and  mother  saw  no 
hovering  cloud  upon  the  face  of  this  eld- 
est daughter  of  the  house,  but  a  quiet, 
womanly  courage  that  gave  ease  and  even 
pleasure  at  that  first  trying  meal  under 
the  dominion  of  misfortune,  and  Murton 
Grey,  the  exuberant  youngest  member, 


56  Anne's  Wedding 

did  not  even  suspect  that  anything  was 
wrong  anywhere  in  the  whole  happy 
world!  It  was  better,  father  and  mother 
had  thought,  to  wait  a  little  till  their 
plans  were  more  definitely  mapped  out, 
before  telling  him  of  coming  changes. 

Dismissing  servants,  a  few  days  later,  did 
not  prove  an  easy  task;  on  the  contrary, 
it  was  most  difficult  to  convince  Mandy, 
the  cook,  that  she  must  go,  and  not  until  a 
new  home  was  found  for  her  and  her  be- 
longings moved  there-to,  would  she  leave, 
and  then  only  with  loud  lamentation. 

As  for  Cahaba,  the  cook's  daughter, 
whose  effects  were  moved  at  the  same 
time,  she  held  her  head  high,  ignoring  all 
indications  of  change  and  took  the  entire 
work  upon  herself  as  far  as  possible. 

When  Mrs.  Carter  remonstrated,  she 
replied  respectfully,  but  with  high  spirit: 

"Why,  Miss  Alice,  what  you  s'pose 


Frustrated  Plans  57 

Miss  Martha  would  think  of  me  if  I  left 
you-all  now?  She'd  think  I  was  one  of 
these  here  niggers  that  when  they  look 
twicet  into  a  spellin'  book  an'  'rithmetic, 
jes'  unwrops  their  wooley  hair,  switches 
a  trailin'  dress  around"  (with  mincing 
mimicry  of  manner  and  speech  that  was 
overwhelmingly  funny),  "an' — is  too 
triflin'  to  bake  a  hoecake!"  And  her 
black  eyes  blazed. 

"I  ain't  forgot,  Miss  Alice,  an'  I  never 
will — that  I  was  nothin'  but  a  little,  low- 
down,  'cornfield  nigger'  in  a  shirt  tail  and 
a  coat  of  dirt  when  you  picked  me  up  an' 
brought  me  here.  Think  I'm  going  to 
leave  you  now?  I  don't  want  no  pay. 
I'll  get  up  early  mornings  and  work  after 
school,  and  I'll  have  oodles  of  time,"  in- 
gratiatingly. 

Her  school  ma'am  speech,  which  fluc- 
tuated more  or  less  in  precision  at  home, 


58  Anne's  Wedding 

now  disappeared  altogether  in  the  humil- 
ity of  her  pleading. 

It  was  a  delicate  matter  for  Mrs.  Carter 
to  put  convincingly  the  fact  that  it  was 
not  only  wages  which  must  be  considered, 
but  the  number  of  the  family  must  be  re- 
duced as  far  as  possible — and  she  did  not 
add  a  further  important  consideration, 
that  she,  herself,  could  cook  much  more 
economically  than  any  servant. 

Cahaba's  eyes  grew  wide  with  wonder 
and  dismay.  Such  a  thing  as  a  few  more 
or  less  to  feed  making  any  difference  with 
white  folks,  had  never  dawned  upon  her, 
and  with  awed  face  she  slowly  wrapped 
up  her  apron  and  left,  while  Mrs.  Carter, 
sitting  in  the  kitchen  alone,  shed  her  first 
tears  since  the  reverses  came. 

With  Mammy  Sue  and  Uncle  Sam 
there  was  only  proud  rejoicing  that  they 
could  not  be  spared  I 


CHAPTER  IV 

MAY  TRAVELS  UNEXPECTEDLY 


LETTER  must  go  to  May  from  her 
father  quite  promptly,  for,  when  his  fi- 
nancial status  had  been  thoroughly  looked 
into,  it  was  found  that  she  could  not  even 
finish  the  school  year  which  would  give 
her  a  diploma  and  make  her  ready  for 
teaching.  This  greatly  grieved  Anne. 

"Mother,"  she  said  as  the  two  talked  it 
over  in  the  quiet  of  Mrs.  Carter's  room, 
"can't  we  do  something  to  keep  May  at 
school  till  the  end  of  the  year?" 

"I  do  not  see  how,  Anne.  I  have 
thought  of  everything,  but  there  is  really 
no  way.  Schooling  in  a  great  university 

59 


60  Anne's  Wedding 

is  a  very  expensive  matter,  now,  and 
your  father  has  been  obliged  to  give  up 
everything,  absolutely,  from  which  he  has 
derived  an  income.  You  know  the  law 
business  brings  in  very  little  in  a  small 
town  like  this,  and  his  income  has  been  al- 
most entirely  from  the  plantations  which 
he  has  gradually  acquired  through  the 
years,  farming  them  on  shares  with  his 
tenants.  These  have  all  been  turned  over 
in  payment  of  that  debt,  now." 

"Debt!"  Anne  exclaimed,  in  a  moment's 
return  of  that  first  fiery  indignation,  and 
she  was  going  to  add  "robbery,"  but  a 
glance  into  her  mother's  serene  though 
perplexed  face,  if  the  two  can  be  im- 
agined in  combination,  restrained  her. 

"No,  debt,  that  is  the  proper  word, 
Anne.  Your  father  really  signed  the  pa- 
per which  obligated  him,  we  must  re- 
member that,  and  he  was  not  forced  to  do 


May  Travels  Unexpectedly         61 

it.  He  does  not  for  a  moment  forget  this 
in  all  his  anxiety.  His  honor  is  very 
precious  to  him,  and  must  be  to  us." 

After  a  moment  she  went  on:  "I  have 
thought  of  Gene,  who  has  more  money 
than  she  can  spend,  and  I  know  will  be 
broken-hearted  when  she  finds  that  she 
cannot  help  us  all  in  this  calamity, — and 
I  did  think  your  father  would  let  her  ad- 
vance the  money  for  May  to  finish  the 
year  out,  but  he  will  not  hear  of  it.  I 
think  he  must  be  just  a  little  rigid  now, 
to  bear  all  this,  and  so  'we  must  quietly 
wait  till  we  are  all  adjusted,  and  find 
ourselves  together  in  the  new  conditions. 
I  don't  doubt  this  is  best,  really,  Anne,  in 
my  own  heart,  however  much  I  may  long 
to  spare  May  her  part  of  grief  and  disap- 
pointment." 

So  Mr.  Carter's  brief  letter,  stating 
facts  and  trying  to  be  kind,  reached  May 


62  Anne's  Wedding 

one  busy  morning  as  she  sat  at  her  desk 
in  her  room  at  the  university.  "Why,  it 
cannot  be,"  was  her  first  thought,  drawing 
back  in  consternation  and  dropping  the 
letter.  "There  is  some  mistake — Father 
not  able  to  keep  me  at  school,  just  till 
the  end  of  the  term — only  three  and  a 
half  months  more?  It  is  impossible." 
Dazed,  she  picked  up  another  letter 
which  had  come  in  the  same  mail,  not 
noticing  that  it  was  in  her  mother's  hand- 
writing till  she  had  mechanically  torn  it 
open.  Then,  when  she  saw  the  familiar 
writing,  her  heart  gave  a  throb  of  joy. 
Mother  would  make  it  all  right,  some 
way — she  always  did!  And  she  eagerly 
read  the  eight  page  letter,  but  it  could  not 
alter  facts,  these  still  stood  in  unmoved 
phalanx  before  her.  However,  there 
was  a  warm,  tender  putting  of  everything, 
even  a  cheery  forecast  of  how  busy  they 


May   Travels   Unexpectedly         63 

were  going  to  be  with  interesting  plans, 
as  soon  as  she  got  home  to  help  them. 
This  was  a  bit  soothing  to  the  ruffled 
spirits,  but  it  could  not  take  away  the 
main  fact — that  she  must  leave  school  at 
the  end  of  the  first  half  term,  and  this  con- 
tinued to  rankle  terribly.  She  stopped 
reading  the  letter  to  dry  her  eyes  and 
lament  depressingly,  then  went  on  again 
with  dull  sensibilities  to  read  of  Anne's 
great  disappointment.  Her  marriage 
must  be  postponed.  That  was  startling 
for  a  moment,  and  she  gave  her  sister  a 
fleeting  bit  of  sympathy — only  to  come 
quickly  back  to  her  own  grievance. 

Well,  Anne  could  be  married  any 
time, — any  time — it  didn't  take  a  diploma 
to  get  married — but  she — she  couldn't 
teach  till  she  had  her  diploma,  and  now 
she  would  never  get  it.  She  didn't  want 
to  marry — she  had  never  seen  anybody  she 


64  Anne's  Wedding 

'wanted,  but  she  had  always  thought  it 
would  be  fine  to  teach! 

So,  the  protesting  tearful  soliloquy 
went  on,  her  feelings  more  and  more  ag- 
itated, till  when  her  room-mate  came  in, 
she  was  weeping  so  the  story  could  hardly 
be  told.  It  came  out  in  sobbing  inter- 
vals which  left  the  room-mate,  a  pretty, 
indulged  girl,  also  in  tears.  It  was  not 
long  till  the  news  spread  through  the 
school  to  her  friends,  who  gathered  about 
her  at  once  and  May  was  in  a  fair  way  of 
posing  as  a  martyr,  had  not  a  big,  whole- 
souled,  abrupt,  sensible  girl  happened  in 
just  then  and  come  to  the  rescue.  She 
was  Kate  Shaw,  the  homeliest  but  best- 
loved  girl  in  the  school. 

"Now,  May  Carter,"  said  Kate,  with  a 
flourish  of  her  big,  kind  hand  when  the 
story  had  been  unfolded  to  her,  with  May 
gently  weeping  for  an  accompaniment, 


May  Travels  Unexpectedly        65 

"don't  you  go  to  feeling  sorry  for  your- 
self !  That  is  the  worst  thing  anybody  can 
do!  Of  course  it's  bad — I'm  not  saying  it 
isn't — for  you  to  have  to  leave  school,  but 
there  are  lots  of  things  worse!  You'll 
miss  final  exams,  for  one  thing,  when  you 
have  to  be  kept  on  the  rack  for  days  till 
you  find  out  whether  you  have  passed  or 
not.  And  then  you  can  go  home,  and 
you've  got  one  to  go  to, — and  a  father  and 
mother  there  when  you  get  there !  That's 
what  I  haven't  got — just  a  mean  old  aunt 
that  makes  me  walk  a  chalk  line — and 
that's  how  I  came  to  know  that  it  was  no 
good  to  feel  sorry  for  yourself.  You've 
just  got  to  take  things  as  they  are,  and 
learn  how  to  stand  them,  and  have  a  good 
time !  Now,  come  on  here  with  me,"  and 
she  put  her  big  arms,  which  all  the  girls 
knew  to  be  tender  and  strong,  around 
May  and  laughingly  carried  her  off. 


66  Anne's  Wedding 

What  more  was  said  to  May  in  the  quiet 
of  Kate's  room  the  other  girls  never  knew, 
but  it  was  something  helpful  and  true  out 
of  a  lonely  experience  of  life.  May  held 
her  head  up  at  the  end  and  promised  Kate 
she  was  not  going  to  "flunk"  whatever 
came.  So  the  first  upheaval  passed,  and, 
once  more  in  her  own  room,  reading  fa- 
ther's and  mother's  letters  over  again,  she 
caught  glimpses  of  their  keen  regret  in 
this  disappointment  for  her,  which  she 
had  failed  altogether  to  see  in  the  first 
selfish  reading. 

A  few  days  later  she  bade  good-by  to 
the  school  friends  and  teachers  with  an 
aching  heart,  but  a  very  brave  front,  con- 
sidering it  was  her  very  first  encounter 
with  real  trial,  and  she  took  the  train, 
with  an  effort  to  make  the  best  of  every- 
thing. Kate  was  the  last  of  all  to  stoop 
and  kiss  her,  slipping  into  the  train  after 


May   Travels  Unexpectedly         67 

May  was  seated ;  and  then,  flying  off  with- 
out a  word,  her  tall,  swaying  figure  made 
a  hasty  run  to  get  off  the  car  before  the 
train  started. 

Seated  in  the  coach  with  her  belongings 
comfortably  disposed  of,  and  having 
looked  about  to  see  if  any  one  was  on 
board  whom  she  knew  or  who  appeared 
especially  interesting,  and  deciding  to  the 
contrary,  May  settled  herself  to  read,  she 
thought,  but  really  to  think.  The  past 
few  days  had  been  so  exciting  she  could 
not  hold  her  attention  to  a  book,  it 
dropped  in  her  lap,  and  gradually  the 
picture  of  school  life  and  the  girls  at  the 
train  to  see  her  off  became  dimmer,  while 
a  new-old  vision  of  home  grew  in  definite 
outline.  She  knew  mother  was  busy  re- 
adjusting household  matters  and  planning 
something  helpful ;  she  could  not  imagine 
just  what,  but  mother  always  knew  what 


68  Anne's  Wedding 

to  do  in  any  emergency,  and  she  could  not 
think  of  the  dear  face  with  anything  but 
the  bright,  capable  expression  it  always 
wore.  Anne  would  be  at  her  hand,  help- 
ing wherever  she  could,  and  making  gay 
while  she  did  it.  She  couldn't  recall 
Anne  without  seeing  sparkling  eyes  and 
hearing  ready  laughter,  so  the  shadow 
lifted  its  heaviest  folds,  as  it  readily  does 
for  the  young,  and  she  looked  forward  to 
getting  home  with  growing  joy;  watched 
passing  town  and  country  and  village,  or 
read  a  little  as  she  felt  inclined,  till  the 
night  came  on  without  incident,  and  she 
went  to  her  berth  for  a  night  of  youth's 
perfect  sleep  in  spite  of  life's  calamities 
and  the  noise  of  hurtling  train  and 
screeching  whistles. 

After  having  her  breakfast  next  morn- 
ing she  took  out  her  book  again,  but  the 
brakeman  called  a  station  just  then,  and 


May  Travels  Unexpectedly         69 

she  turned  to  look  out,  when  a  sudden 
commotion  in  some  seats  in  front  of  her 
caught  her  attention,  and  she  saw  an  odd- 
looking  little  old  lady  grab  up  an  old- 
fashioned  green  carpet-bag,  a  faded  um- 
brella and  paper  lunch  box,  and  rush 
frantically  for  the  car  door. 

But  the  conductor  met  the  frantic  rush 
with  an  emphatic,  "No,  you  don't,"  hold- 
ing the  old  lady  firmly  while  she  poured 
out  a  volley  of  vehement  French.  Then, 
as  the  train  started  once  more,  May 
watched  interestedly  while  he  led  the 
protesting  passenger  back  to  her  seat; 
mopping  his  brow  wearily,  he  explained 
to  her  with  marked  emphasis  that  she  had 
all  day  yet  to  travel  before  she  reached  her 
destination.  The  old  lady  shrank  back 
into  her  seat  under  his  emphasis,  and  the 
conductor,  big  and  forceful — but  not  un- 
kind— walked  down  the  aisle.  Stopping 


70  Anne's  Wedding 

at  the  seat  of  a  gentleman  in  front  of  May, 
he  paused  and  relieved  his  mind. 

"That's  tfre  way  it  has  been  all  night. 
She  got  on  at  Louisville,  about  nine 
o'clock,  and  she  wouldn't  undress  and  go 
to  bed.  Had  her  berth  made  up,  but  just 
sat  on  the  edge  of  it  with  her  hands  on 
her  things,  and  every  few  minutes  she 
would  fly  to  the  door  with  them, — if  we 
made  a  stop,  or  if  she  thought  we  were 
going  to.  A  time  or  two  she  got  plumb 
outside,  and  she  and  me  both  come 
mighty  near  gettin'  left  while  I  was  gently 
persuading  her  to  come  back.  But  I  got 
onto  her  racket  at  last,  and  I  dropped 
the  gentle  act.  I  just  had  to,"  he  added 
apologetically,  "she's  so  determined." 
Then  he  lowered  his  voice:  "What  folks 
let  a  looney  like  that  travel  alone  for,  is 
beyond  me." 

And   as   he   passed   on,   evidently  the 


May  Travels  Unexpectedly         71 

easier  for  freeing  his  mind,  May  noticed  a 
tall,  well-proportioned  gentleman  of  per- 
haps twenty-seven  to  thirty  years,  who  had 
come  in  at  the  last  station.  He  had  sat 
down  opposite  her  and  was  already  deep 
in  a  book,  so  she  only  gave  him  passing 
interest  and  it  was  but  a  few  minutes  till 
the  old  lady  became  active  again.  She 
started  down  the  aisle,  this  time  without 
her  assortment  of  baggage,  her  little  bent 
figure  alert  with  springs  in  every  joint, 
and  a  wrinkled,  smiling  old  face  turned 
eagerly  toward  first  one,  then  another  of 
the  passengers,  seeming  to  expect  that  she 
might  know  some  of  them.  Coming  eag- 
erly along,  she  spied  a  baby  to  which  a 
young  couple  were  giving  devoted  care. 
She  darted  to  the  seat  opposite  which  ac- 
commodated baby's  voluminous  belong- 
ings, and  sitting  upon  the  edge,  she  cooed 
in  softest  French,  "Ah,  the  darling  baby" 


72  Anne's  Wedding 

— he  would  understand  her  language  if 
nobody  else  could — putting  her  face  close 
to  the  wee  pink  one  while  the  young 
mother  bridled  and  squirmed,  and  the 
young  father  scowled.  Then,  she  was 
going  to  take  the  baby  into  her  arms, 
whether  or  no,  and  alarm  took  the  place 
of  anxiety  with  the  young  mother.  A 
lady  passenger  sitting  opposite  kindly 
drew  the  old  lady's  attention  elsewhere  at 
this  juncture,  and  finally  led  her  back 
again  to  her  seat,  where  she  remained 
quiet  for  a  time. 

May  had  watched  it  all  with  amused 
interest,  and  glancing  across  involunta- 
rily at  her  gentleman  neighbor  who  had 
recently  come  in,  they  exchanged  a  spon- 
taneous smile.  Remembering  instantly 
that  he  was  a  stranger — and  a  man,  too, 
her  eyes  quickly  went  back  to  her  book, 
and  kept  assiduously  there.  Ere  long  the 


May   Travels   Unexpectedly         73 

neighbor  left  his  seat  and  walked  back  to 
the  vestibule,  and  he  had  not  more  than 
left  it  before  the  little  old  lady  began  her 
restless  investigations  once  more.  This 
time  she  passed  by  the  couple  with  the 
baby  and  came  eagerly  and  expectantly 
on  down  the  aisle  toward  May's  seat. 
Here  she  paused,  and  May  watched  in- 
tently to  see  what  she  would  do.  Her 
interest  was  with  the  neighbor's  traps, 
however,  and  not  with  May.  An  unusual 
hand  bag  of  unmistakable  foreign  make 
in  the  seat  had  caught  her  eye.  It  had 
been  made  in  her  beloved  France — she 
knew  that  in  an  instant,  and  with  a  little 
glad  cry  in  French  she  dropped  into  the 
seat — squarely  upon  the  gentleman's  hat  I 

May  saw  the  catastrophe  and  flew  im- 
pulsively to  the  rescue. 

"You  have  sat  upon  the  gentleman's 
hat,"  she  cried  in  spontaneous  French, 


Anne's  Wedding 


which  was  so  good  that  the  little  old  lady 
sprang  to  her  feet  in  response,  but  her 
thought  was  all  upon  the  dear,  spoken 
French,  and  she  embraced  May  and  cried, 
"You  speak  the  beautiful  Frangaisl" 

Pleased  with  the  compliment,  for  she 
did  pride  herself  upon  her  French,  May 
said: 

"Just  sit  here  a  minute,"  placing  her  in 
her  own  seat,  "and  I  will  talk  to  you  as 
soon  as  I  straighten  the  man's  hat  out." 

She  proceeded  to  do  this,  but  with  poor 
success,  for  it  was  a  stiff  derby  and  had 
been  most  thoroughly  crushed.  While 
she  busied  herself  with  it  the  gentleman 
himself  was  suddenly  at  her  elbow.  He 
had  seen  enough  as  he  entered  the  coach 
to  guess  what  had  happened  and  smilingly 
said,  "We  have  had  an  accident,  have 
we?" 

May  smiled  back  in  return  and  replied, 


May  Travels  Unexpectedly        75 

"I  am  afraid  it  was  a  fatal  one  for  your 
hat,"  handing  it  to  him.  "I  have  done 
the  best  I  could  for  it,  but  that  was  little." 

"On  the  contrary,  you  have  proved  very 
valuable  first-aid-to-the-injured,  and  I 
thank  you  most  warmly." 

May  bowed  pleasantly  in  return  and 
slipped  into  her  seat  by  the  old  lady,  who 
was  anxiously  crying  in  French,  "Tell 
him  I  so  regret,"  and  the  girl  turned  again 
toward  him  to  repeat  and  translate  the 
message. 

He  thanked  her  once  more  with  earnest 
assurance  that  the  matter  was  of  no  con- 
sequence whatever;  the  hat  was  an  old 
one,  quite  ready  to  be  retired. 

May,  in  turn,  repeated  this  pleasant  as- 
surance to  the  old  lady  in  French,  but  her 
nervousness  had  increased  with  the  little 
accident,  and  the  girl  impulsively  laid  her 
hand  on  the  withered,  restless  one  to  hold 


76  Anne's  Wedding 

attention  while  she  talked  quietly  even 
in  the  beloved  native  tongue.  But  the  old 
lady  wanted  to  talk  herself  all  the  time, 
and  it  only  excited  her  the  more,  so  May 
finally  took  out  a  book  of  short  stories  in 
French,  which  she  had  in  her  bag,  and 
began  reading  them  aloud  to  her.  The 
even  flow  of  words  in  the  tongue  she  knew 
gradually'quieted  the  nervous  old  woman, 
and  May  soon  found  that  she  was  fast 
asleep.  Gently  arranging  her  more  com- 
fortably in  the  seat,  by  giving  her  the 
whole  of  it,  May  slipped  noiselessly  out, 
and  as  she  did  so,  the  gentleman  across  the 
way  looked  up  pleasantly  again,  and  said 
softly,  "Congratulations!" 

May  smiled  unaffectedly  in  return,  and 
passed  along  the  aisle  to  a  vacant  seat 
further  down.  She  had  only  sat  there  a 
few  moments,  however,  when  the  gentle- 
man rose  and  came  back  also. 


May  Travels  Unexpectedly        77 

Stopping  by  her  seat,  he  said,  "I  beg 
pardon  most  earnestly  for  seeming  to  at- 
tempt to  pursue  your  acquaintance,  but  I 
am  president  of  a  girls'  college,"  and  he 
handed  her  a  card,  "and  I  have  something 
to  say  to  you  that  may  possibly  be  of  in- 
terest. I  feel  impressed  that  it  will  be,— 
and  my  mother  has  great  faith  in  my  im- 
pressions." 

His  face  was  plainly  one  to  trust  with 
its  brown  eyes  that  looked  frankly  into 
hers,  its  large  mouth,  a  bit  crooked  at  one 
corner  from  its  firm  setting  as  he  concen- 
trated in  reading  or  study,  and  then  re- 
laxed in  a  slow  smile  which  sent  the  lips 
up  in  the  center  and  left  one  corner  still 
holding  to  the  serious  things  of  life.  His 
hair  took  care  of  itself  in  free,  waving, 
abundant  locks  that  dropped  on  the  high 
forehead  with  pleasant  ease  and  fitted  well 
with  a  manner  of  dress  that  was  good  and 


78  Anne's  Wedding 

comfortable,  rather  than  elegant,  and 
evidently  did  not  occupy  the  owner's 
thought.  He  was  married,  of  course, 
had  been  May's  first  subconscious  deci- 
sion about  him,  and  she  had  given  that 
matter  no  definite  debate  since. 

She  was  now  surprised  at  his  proposi- 
tion to  talk  with  her,  but  she,  like  most 
Southern-reared  girls,  did  not  know  pru- 
dishness,  and  frankly  made  place  for  him, 
after  glancing  at  his  card  which  read: 
"Addison  Humphrey  Vernon,  President 
Addison  College  for  Women,  Blakeville, 
South  Carolina." 

When  seated,  he  turned  to  her  at  once 
with  his  errand. 

"The  situation  is  this  with  me:  I  am 
president  of  a  girls'  college,  you  see — not 
by  right  of  attainment,  however,  I  might 
as  well  say  at  once,"  he  put  in  with  that 
slow  smile,  and  the  serious  corner  almost 


May  Travels  Unexpectedly        79 

winning  the  balance  of  power,  "but 
rather  by  right  of  inheritance.  My  grand- 
father founded  the  college;  then  my  fa- 
ther followed  him,  and  for  two  years  pre- 
vious to  his  death  I  did  his  work;  so,  un- 
tried as  I  am  in  many  things,  the  trustees 
made  me  president  at  his  death — and  I  am 
endeavoring  to  live  up  to  their  confidence. 
"So  much  for  preliminaries,"  he  ended, 
after  a  moment's  pause,  and  May  listened 
with  interest  which  was  not  in  the  least 
spoiled  by  self-consciousness.  "Now,  for 
the  present:  my  language  teacher  married 
a  few  days  ago — after  a  fashion  folks 
have,  you  know,  sometimes,"  and  again 
there  was  the  slow  smile,  "and  she  gave 
us  no  notice — didn't  know  herself,  she 
claims — and  I  suppose  that  is  a  way  life 
has  too,  sometimes,  so  we  must  accept  it — 
but  it  did  leave  us  much  embarrassed,  to 
say  the  least.  I  have  some  names  from 


80  Anne's  Wedding 

teachers'  agencies,"  and  he  took  a  list  of 
four  or  five  names  from  his  pocket,  "but 
I  have  just  made  an  unprofitable  trip,  and 
I  feel — I  was  going  to  say  intuitively,  but 
I  believe  that  is  woman's  prerogative  ex- 
clusively— so  I  will  say,  that  I  have  sus- 
picions that  the  trip  I  am  on  now  to  see 
another,  is  going  to  result  in  the  same  way 
— hence,  therefore — to  be  school-manlike 
—I  am  talking  to  you,  because — if  you 
will  pardon  me,  I  will  say  frankly — I 
could  not  help  listening  to  your  fine 
French  in  your  talk  and  reading  to  that 
old  lady,  and  I  have  come  to  inquire  if, 
by  any  chance,  the  love  of  teaching  has 
ever  touched  your  heart." 

He  turned  and  looked  earnestly  in  her 
face  as  he  spoke,  as  though  he  would  wake 
the  teaching  instinct  within  her  if  he 
could,  and  under  this  compelling  gaze  she 
cried  eagerly: 


May  Travels  Unexpectedly        81 

"Oh,  I  do  so  want  to  teach — but, — I 
can't,"  and  unheralded,  unbidden,  de- 
moralizing tears  suddenly  threatened  to 
overcome  her!  She  struggled  desper- 
ately with  herself  while  he  instantly 
turned  his  head  and  said: 

"That  is  true,  we  cannot  always  do  just 
what  we  wish.  But,  sometimes  we  are 
mistaken,  about  things  we  can  and  cannot 
do!  Would  you  mind — if  I  am  not  in- 
truding— telling  me  why  you  cannot?" 

Marriage  would  have  been  the  thing  to 
think  of  first  with  so  attractive  a  young 
woman,  but  that  would  not  have  held 
tears  so  near  the  surface — and,  somehow, 
he  felt  impelled  to  probe  a  bit. 

May  had  herself  pretty  well  in  hand 
by  this  time,  so  she  said,  with  a  touch  of 
her  father's  recent  rigidness,  "I  have  no 
diploma." 

"No  diploma!"    And  he  turned  that 


82  Anne's  Wedding 

smile  in  full  right  of  way  upon  her,  while 
his  eyes  twinkled  so  kindly  that  she  re- 
laxed at  once,  "A  diploma  is  fine  and 
worth  working  for,  no  doubt  about  that, 
but  it  is  not  the  whole  of  the  matter. 
How  near  were  you  to  the  pesky  thing?" 
he  ended,  with  a  homely  warmth  that 
won  her  completely. 

She  told  him  the  whole  story  then;  of 
the  family  reverses,  and  her  forced  return 
home  with  only  a  half  term  to  complete 
her  course  and  win  her  diploma. 

He  questioned  her  carefully  as  to  the 
ground  she  had  covered  in  her  study,  and 
at  the  end  he  turned  to  her  again  with  that 
winning  look:  "I  am  fully  satisfied,  not 
only  with  your  attainment  in  scholarship, 
but  also  with  your  tact  and  readiness  in 
emergency — your  kindly  spirit  of  helpful- 
ness in  handling  that  erratic  old  French 
woman!  I  beg  your  pardon  again  for 


May   Travels   Unexpectedly         83 

observing  you  so  closely.  I  'want  you  for 
French  and  German  teacher  in  my  school. 
I  do  not  want  to  look  further  for  a  teacher 
— diploma  or  no  diploma!" 

May  was  perfectly  amazed,  and  de- 
lighted beyond  measure — but  would  fa- 
ther let  her? 

She  turned  her  glad,  but  uncertain  face 
to  him.  "Oh,  I  would  so  love  to — but  I 
do  not  know  that  father  would  let  me. 
He  will  think  I  should  complete  my 
course  first — and  he  will  feel  that  I  am  not 
old  enough  to  teach,  yet!" 

"Well,  we  will  go  and  ask  him  any- 
way," and  the  combination  mouth,  with 
the  firm  corner  in  full  evidence,  was  not 
to  be  gainsaid. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  May,  as- 
tonished. 

"I  mean  just  that!  I  will  go  with  you 
to  your  home — we  will  reach  there  by  six 


84  Anne's  Wedding 

o'clock  this  evening — and  I  was  intending 
to  go  on  down  to  Mobile  to  see  a  teacher 
there.  Instead,  I  will  stop  off  and  go  up 
to  your  place  to  see  your  father." 

He  did  not  put  it  again,  "I  will  go  with 
you,"  but  May  was  fully  conscious  that 
she  must  appear  at  the  home  station, 
where  her  father  would  meet  her,  with  a 
strange  man!  What  would  he  think? 

<rNow,  don't  worry  in  the  least  about 
it,  Miss  Carter,"  he  said.  "I  will  take 
the  whole  responsibility  in  the  matter." 

And  there  was  something  so  re-assur- 
ing about  him,  in  his  strength  and  in  his 
kindness,  that  May  did  cease  to  worry 
and  gave  herself  up  to  the  joy  of  think- 
ing that  she  really  might  be  going  to 
teach,  right  away. 

They  talked  together  for  sometime 
while  the  old  lady  continued  to  sleep 
peacefully,  for  she  had  been  utterly  worn 


May  Travels   Unexpectedly        85 

out  with  the  long  night's  nervous  vigil, 
and  discussed  teaching  methods  and 
school  conditions  at  Addison, looking  over 
some  recent  pictures  he  had  of  the  build- 
ings, but  touching  the  personal  side,  as 
related  to  him,  very  little,  though  he 
spoke  once  or  twice  of  his  mother.  The 
question  came  inevitably  to  May  now,  "Is 
he  married  or  single?"  but  she  could  not 
determine. 

When  the  old  lady  awoke  at  last,  May 
went  at  once  and  took  charge  of  her  again. 
It  was  a  new  world  to  the  strained  nerves 
after  the  refreshing  sleep,  and,  with  some 
one  to  tell  her  about  train  conditions  and 
just  what  to  expect  when  May  should 
leave  the  train,  which  she  soon  must  do, 
the  old  lady  found  quiet  and  confidence, 
so  that  when  she  should  meet  her  son,  with 
whom  she  was  going  to  make  her  home  in 
the  future,  it  would  be  with  a  natural  hap- 


86  Anne's  Wedding 

piness.  The  conductor  joined  them  be- 
fore May  had  finished  her  explanations, 
and  she  acted  as  interpreter  for  the  two, 
till  the  vexed  look  faded  from  the  big, 
rough  face  and  the  old  lady  smiled  up  at 
him  with  confiding  trust. 

She  was  hardly  through  when  Profes- 
sor Vernon  touched  her  arm,  and  re- 
minded her  that  they  would  soon  be 
at  the  junction  of  roads  where  they 
would  change  for  the  branch  line  which 
went  to  May's  little  Alabama  home 
town. 

They  made  the  change,  the  little  train 
was  on  time,  and  it  was  only  a  brief  hour 
before  they  would  be  at  the  station.  This 
was  passed  pleasantly,  for  Professor  Ver- 
non again  mentioned  the  girl's  tact  and 
kindness  with  the  little  old  lady,  and  be- 
ing so  near  home  with  its  glow  growing 
upon  her,  May  laughed  and  said,  "Well, 


May   Travels   Unexpectedly        87 

you  see,  we  are  a  Blossom  Shop  family, 
and  we  have  to  live  up  to  it!" 

The  professor  repeated  the  phrase  with 
pleased  questioning:  "Blossom  Shop  fam- 
ily— that  sounds  very  enticing — please 
elaborate  for  me." 

Then  she  told  him  all  the  story  of  the 
Blossom  Shop  and  the  family  principles 
which  had  grown  out  of  it,  ending  mer- 
rily: 

"My  blossoms  all  turn  to  languages, 
you  see,  and  I  have  to  look  out  for  for- 
eigners everywhere.  Anne's  blossoms  are 
musical,  and  she  loves  to  sing  whenever 
she  is  asked.  Our  minister  says  she 
preaches  better  sermons,  often,  than  he 
does  in  church.  She  does  sing  beauti- 
fully. Donald  says  her  blossoms  are  des- 
tined to  become  the  choicest  English 
house-plants  in  the  British  possessions— 
but  it  will  not  be  soon,  now,  with  this 


88  Anne's  Wedding 

trouble,"  and  her  face  sobered  at  the 
thought  of  Anne's  cloud,  for  which  there 
was  no  prospect  yet  of  silver  lining,  as  in 
her  case. 

"What  about  Miss  Grey's  blossoms?" 
asked  the  professor  with  the  warmth  of 
an  old  friend  amused  and  charmed  with 
this  girlish  and  most  unusual  family  un- 
folding which  had  fallen  into  unexpected 
freedom  since  they  were  going  "home"  to- 
gether— and  wishing  instantly  to  lift  the 
shadow  from  her  face. 

"Oh,  Gene  does  everything  well — and 
is  simply  lovely — though  she  says  her 
blossoms  are  the  poorest  of  all — just 
money — but  I  think  that  sort  of  blossom- 
ing would  be  pretty  good  for  us,  about 
now." 

Then  quickly  remembering  that  this 
might  seem  to  imply  withholding  on 
Gene's  part  in  this  family  crisis,  she  hur- 


May  Travels   Unexpectedly         89 

ried  to  say,  "Gene  would  gladly  give  us. 
everything  she  has,  but  father  will  not 
let  her.  I  thought  he  was  wrong,  at  first, 
not  to  let  her  help  us  a  little,"  she  added 
with  a  certain  urgent  honesty,  "but  I  don't 


now." 


Before  it  seemed  possible  the  train  was 
slowing  up — and  there  was  Mr.  Carter 
coming  into  the  coach.  May's  heart  went 
into  her  throat,  an  instant,  as  she  remem- 
bered she  must  introduce  a  strange,  unex- 
pected man  to  him,  but  she  had  not 
had  social  training  for  naught,  and  after 
greeting  her  father  warmly — noting  even 
in  that  moment  with  fresh  heart-throb, 
how  old  and  worn  and  unlike  himself  he 
looked — she  turned  with  girlish,  but  gen- 
teel directness,  and  introduced  Professor 
Addison  Vernon. 

Mr.  Carter  gave  a  keen,  startled  glance 
at  the  stranger,  and  extended  his  hand 


90  Anne's  Wedding 

courteously,  but  with  evident  question, 
which  Professor  Vernon  answered  at 
once: 

"I  am  here,  Mr.  Carter,"  taking  out  a 
card  as  he  spoke,  and  handing  it  to  Mr. 
Carter,  "to  try  to  secure  your  daughter 
as  teacher  in  our  college." 

Mr.  Carter  looked  at  the  card  and 
heard  the  statement  in  natural  surprise 
touched  with  amazement. 

"I  do  not  know  about  that,"  said  he, 
slowly,  at  length. 

But  they  must  leave  in  order  for  the 
train  to  move  on — which  had  the  accom- 
modating way  of  waiting  for  passengers' 
pleasure  rather  than  hurrying  them  off 
at  any  railroad  schedule's  behest — and 
they  made  their  way  out  to  the  station 
platform  where  they  paused  again  while 
Professor  Vernon  made  further  re- 
quest. 


May   Travels   Unexpectedly         91 

"May  I  call  upon  you  this  evening  and 
present  my  case  fully?" 

"If  that  is  your  errand  here,  you  must 
come  to  my  home,"  said  Mr.  Carter  with 
the  quick,  unfailing  hospitality  of  his 
kind,  "but  I  warn  you  there  is  little  like- 
lihood of  my  allowing  this  child  to  begin 
teaching.  She  is  unequipped — but  we 
will  talk  of  that  later.  Come  with  us," 
and,  as  they  stepped  briskly  away  to  walk 
the  short  distance  between  the  station  and 
the  Carter  home,  May's  heart  fell.  No, 
her  father  would  not  let  her  go,  she 
knew  it! 

"I  thank  you  very  much  for  your  invi- 
tation, Mr.  Carter,"  protested  the  Profes- 
sor, "but  I  feel  that  it  would  be  an  im- 
position to  accept  it.  I  am  travel-stained, 
as  you  see,  and  forced  by — well — shall  I 
say  good  or  ill-luck" — and  he  smiled  at 
May,  "to  wear  a  very  disreputable  hat." 


92  Anne's  Wedding 

"A  funny  old  French  woman  sat  on  it, 
father,"  laughed  May,  and  so  the  walk  to 
the  house  was  made  without  constraint  as 
she  briefly  told  the  story  and  Mr.  Carter 
with  quiet,  final  courtesy  insisted  that  Pro- 
fessor Vernon  be  his  guest,  when  they 
reached  the  home  gate. 


CHAPTER  V 

NEW  INDUSTRIES  AND  PHILOSOPHIES 

A  HERE  was  naturally  wonder,  in 
Mrs.  Carter's  and  Anne's  courteous  greet- 
ing of  Professor  Vernon,  after  loving 
gathering-in  of  May  on  the  part  of  both. 

Mr.  Carter  said  in  immediate  explana- 
tion to  Mrs.  Carter,  as  they  seated  them- 
selves in  the  parlor,  when  Anne,  with  an 
arm  about  May,  had  carried  her  up-stairs 
to  her  room,  "Professor  Vernon  comes  in 
the  hope  of  securing  May  as  teacher  in  his 
school." 

Professor  Vernon  bowed  in  smiling  ac- 
quiescence, remarking  apologetically,  "I 
am  afraid  this  will  make  me  seem  still 

93 


94  Anne's  Wedding 

more  an  intruder,  Mrs.  Carter;  but  when 
I  lay  the  whole  matter  before  you,  I  hope 
to  commend  my  case  to  you." 

Then,  with  desire  for  immediate  frank- 
ness, which  should  define  his  personality 
and  standing  as  clearly  as  possible  for 
them,  he  made  the  statement  as  to  his 
coming  into  the  presidency  of  the  school 
which  he  had  already  given  to  May,  and 
remembering  the  delightful  family  con- 
fidences which  had  made  them  all  seem 
as  old  friends  to  him,  he  added  with  his 
crooked  smile,  "I  am  a  bachelor,  my 
mother  holding  the  balance  of  power  in 
the  school  and  keeping  me  in  countenance 
before  the  young  ladies.  I  did  not  tell 
Miss  Carter  this  on  the  trip  to-day,  for, 
from  her  modest  demeanor,  I  feared  I 
might  not  prove  so  acceptable  a  traveling 
acquaintance.  This  may  have  been  a  mis- 
take, perhaps  I  should  not  have  sailed 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     95 

under  false  colors;  if  so,  I  beg  you  will 
forgive  an  error  of  judgment.  I  am  not 
a  ladies'  man,  as  you  may  see,  but  a  book- 
worm, and  perhaps  a  moth-eaten  bache- 
lor," he  ended  with  whimsical  charm  that 
won  them  both. 

Up-stairs  Anne  promptly  cried  to  May : 
"Where  did  you  get  him?  He  is  fine!  I 
could  tell  that  the  minute  I  looked  into  his 
face." 

May  laughed  with  girlish  scorn,  "Oh, 
he  is  nothing  to  get — he's  married,  I 
know." 

"How  do  you  know — where  did  you  get 
him?"  Anne  came  back  at  her,  quickly. 

"Oh,  you  are  always  seeing  romances, 
Anne,  because  you  have  one  on  hand  your- 
self," said  May  with  sisterly  frankness. 
"I  tell  you  he  is  married  1" 

"But,  you  do  not  know"  persisted 
Anne.  "I  say  he  is  not — not  even  en- 


96  Anne's  Wedding 

gaged.     There   is   something   about   his 
face  that  just  tells  me  so." 

"Well,  I  suppose  you  are  an  expert  in 
these  matters,  just  now,"  said  May,  as 
she  laid  off  her  hat  at  the  mirror,  and  find- 
ing everything  just  as  it  always  had  been 
in  her  room,  the  last  bit  of  hovering  cloud 
disappeared  from  her  horizon  for  the., 
moment,  and  what  cared  she  whether  any 
man  was  married  or  single?  It  was  so 
good  to  be  at  home,  and  then  Murton 
Grey  came  bounding  in  to  give  her  a  little 
peck  on  the  cheek  supplemented  by  joyful 
greeting  from  his  twinkling  eyes,  and  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  tell  her  about  a  wagon 
he  and  another  boy  were  building. 
Mammy  Sue  appeared  next  in  her  fa- 
miliar dark  calico  and  big  white  apron, 
her  face  shining,  and  took  her  child  in  her 
arms,  after  the  fashion  of  colored  mam- 
mies of  old. 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     97 

"How  is  dear  old  Uncle  Sam?"  asked 
May  warmly. 

"He's  mighty  porely,  Miss  May, 
chile,"  said  Mammy  Sue  mournfully. 
"I'se  oneasy  'bout  him  all  de  time,  now." 

"Oh,  I'm  so  sorry,"  exclaimed  May. 
"I'll  go  out  to  see  him  as  soon  as  supper 
is  over." 

Mrs.  Carter  next  appeared  in  the  room 
and  gave  the  home-coming  girl  another 
welcome,  for,  with  the  stranger  at  hand  it 
had  not  quite  satisfied  her  heart. 

"How  well  and  fine  you  look,"  she 
said,  then — "my  own  brave  girl,"  was 
whispered  in  the  young  ear. 

"It  doesn't  require  much  of  that  to  come 
home  and  see  you-all,"  May  returned,  but 
the  mother  knew  and  understood,  never- 
theless. 

"Mother,"  put  in  Anne,  "don't  you  like 
Professor  Vernon?  I  didn't  see  him  only 


98  Anne's  Wedding 

a  minute,  but  I  liked  his  face  so  much." 
Anne  always  knew  instantly  whether  or 
no  she  liked  folks. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Carter,  "I  do,  for  so 
short  an  acquaintance." 

"Do  you  think  he  is  married?"  cried 
Anne,  again.  "May  contends  he  is,  but 
I  say  he  isn't — what  do  you  think  about 
it?" 

"I  don't  think,"  returned  Mrs.  Carter, 
smiling.  "I  know — he  has  informed  us 
—he  is  a  bachelor." 

"There, — I  told  you  so,"  cried  Anne 
triumphantly.  "I  knew!" 

"Well,"  said  May,  with  the  disdain  of 
youth  as  yet  untouched  by  vital  interest  as 
to  the  statistics  of  men  in  general  or  par- 
ticular, "your  discernment  is  beyond  mine, 
I  know,  in  such  things."  And  there  was 
a  palpable  hint  of  superiority  in  this  state 
of  ignorance. 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     99 

But  Anne  only  laughed  happily,  and 
retorted,  "Never  mind,  it  will  come  to 
you  yet!" 

She  was  so  blissful  in  her  love  for  Don- 
ald that  she  could  not  help  wanting  to 
bring  her  sisters  into  the  charmed  circle 
of  hearts  secure,  and  with  it  there  was  a 
bit  of  anxious  yearning  over  this  pretty, 
non-understandable  May,  who  did  not 
seem  in  the  least  concerned  about  beaux, 
and  was  always  talking  about  teach- 
ing! 

Mrs.  Carter  smiled  with  comprehen- 
sion for  both;  she  knew  that  May's  indif- 
ference was  likely  to  vanish  at  any  mo- 
ment, like  dew  on  the  rose  leaf  under  a 
sudden  flash  of  sun. 

They  all  went  down-stairs  together, 
May  and  her  mother  with  Murton  Grey 
under  her  arm  to  the  parlor,  while  Anne 
slipped  into  the  dining-room  to  prepare 


100  Anne's  Wedding 

an  extra  place  for  the  visitor  and  to  give 
some  last  touches  to  the  table. 

When  all  were  seated  and  supper  in 
progress  May  was  reminded  that  the 
changes  were  real  at  home,  as  no  maid 
appeared  to  serve  them,  and  Anne  rose  to 
get  whatever  was  needed,  while  Mammy 
Sue  attended  to  the  baking  biscuits  in  the 
kitchen.  But  conversation  was  easy  and 
pleasant,  even  merry,  as  they  went  over 
together  the  episode  with  the  old  French 
woman. 

After  supper,  with  the  family,  except 
Murton  Grey,  present,  Professor  Vernon 
presented  his  case  in  full,  and,  when  the 
conference  was  over,  it  was  decided  that 
May  should  try  the  teaching  for  the  re- 
maining half  term  at  least,  the  professor's 
crowning  and  most  conclusive  argument 
being  that  there  was  no  better  way  to 
learn  than  by  teaching.  He  said  he  had 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     101 

tried  it,  and  knew  whereof  he  spoke. 
"You  see,  I  am  not  now  a  real  president  or 
professor  of  my  school.  I  have  simply 
slipped  into  their  clothes  ahead  of  time 
and  am  growing  to  them,"  he  ended,  with 
the  whimsical  charm  that  was  very  win- 
ning. 

He  left  next  morning,  with  the  feeling 
on  both  sides  that  a  real  friendship  had 
begun,  and  May  was  to  go  later,  after  a 
few  days'  rest  and  preparation. 

She  was  extremely  happy  over  the  pros- 
pect of  teaching,  but  the  few  days'  stay  at 
home  revealed  changed  conditions  there 
in  a  very  realistic  way.  Her  father  was 
silent,  and  gray  of  hair  and  face ;  it  seemed 
to  them  all  they  could  see  the  dark  locks 
whiten  as  they  looked  at  them.  Anne 
and  her  mother  were  doing  the  cook- 
ing and  housework,  while  Mammy  Sue 
lingered  distractedly  around,  unable  to 


102  Anne's  Wedding 

reconcile  herself  to  it,  and  yet  unable  to 
do  the  work  herself  on  account  of  grow- 
ing feebleness,  and  the  constant  care 
Uncle  Sam  required.  When  it  came  to 
the  weekly  family  washing  she  was  simply 
beside  herself  as  mother  and  daughter 
proposed  to  do  it. 

"Miss  Alice,"  she  cried,  agonizingly, 
"you  larnt  my  chillun  to  sweep  an'  dus' 
an'  make  beds,  an'  I  stood  it — an'  I  don't 
know  but  you  was  right  wid  de  ole  times 
done  gone  in  de  Souf,  but  ef  yo'  sen'  'em 
to  de  wash  tub,  I'll  die,  Miss  AliceL  I  sho' 
will!" 

And  Mrs.  Carter  really  feared  the  old 
woman  would ;  so,  as  few  clothes  as  pos- 
sible were  given  to  Mammy  Sue  to  wash, 
and  the  old  woman  found  strength  to  do 
them,  bringing  them  in  with  a  delight  that 
was  soul-satisfying  for  her, — and  she 
never  dreamed  that  "her  chillun"  were 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     103 

surreptitiously  adding  their  strength  and 
skill  to  hers! 

"Now,  May,"  Anne  would  say,  "I'm 
going  to  wash  out  this  shirt  waist,  but 
don't  you  let  Mammy  Sue  catch  me.  I'll 
hang  it  up  in  the  bathroom  and  lock  the 
door  for  it  to  dry,  but  the  key  will  be 
under  my  pillow."  And  they  had  great 
fun  out-witting  Mammy  Sue,  giving  a  de- 
cided zest  to  laundry  work,  while  the  old 
woman's  failing  eye-sight  prevented  her 
from  suspecting  the  work  was  not  her 
own,  and  so  the  subterfuges  went  on  suc- 
cessfully. 

Preparations  were  being  made  for  a 
renewal  of  the  flower  business  which  Mrs. 
Carter,  Gene  and  Uncle  Sam  had  pursued 
for  so  long,  and  they  hoped  to  market  a 
good  supply  of  Cape  jessamines  in  the 
early  summer,  shipping  them  to  Northern 
city  florists.  Anne  did  not  sing  much 


104  Anne's  Wedding 

these  days,  May  noticed,  but  she  was 
very  busy,  and  preparing  to  help  with 
the  flower  business  in  a  cheerfulness  that 
made  the  younger  sister  marvel.  She  did 
not  care  much,  after  all,  for  Donald — not 
enough  to  go  away  from  them  all  to  a 
home  across  the  ocean — was  the  sister's 
comfortable  conclusion. 

But  one  evening  her  father  came  in  the 
library,  as  the  two  girls  sat  reading  in  the 
early  lamp  glow  of  the  short  Southern 
twilight,  and  brought  Anne  a  letter  with 
the  English  post  mark  and  bold  handwrit- 
ing upon  it  which  both  knew,  and  Anne's 
face  as  she  took  it,  was  a  study  in  joy,  an- 
guish, dread,  with  the  sweet  control  she 
was  striving  for  holding  all  in  quivering 
leash,  which  made  even  inexperienced 
May  turn  away  in  quick  tears  and  an  in- 
ward choking,  "Oh,  poor  Anne!" 

It  was  only  a  moment  that  the  pathetic 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     105 

vision  remained  before  them;  catching 
her  lip  to  steady  it,  Anne  rose,  smiled 
bravely  at  them  all,  then  flew  up-stairs  to 
her  own  room  with  the  letter.  When  she 
came  down  later  to  help  with  the  supper, 
her  eyes  held  a  new  soft  tint  that  made 
May  wonder  still  more.  She  couldn't 
forget  Anne's  face  when  she  took  the  let- 
ter, however,  and  said  earnestly,  "You 
needn't  help  with  supper,  Anne;  I  can 
do  it  all,  I  know." 

"Oh,  but  I  want  to,"  returned  Anne. 
"I  feel  just  like  it,"  but  she  gave  May  a 
quick  hug,  both  to  hide  the  sparkle  of 
tears  and  to  show  her  appreciation  of 
the  unspoken  sympathy  which  had 
prompted  the  offer. 

"I  will  tell  you  about  Donald's  letter 
when  we  go  up-stairs  to  bed,"  whispered 
Anne. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  looked  anx- 


106  Anne's  Wedding 

iously  toward  Anne  at  supper,  but  she 
was  the  same  capable  Anne,  with  an  un- 
dercurrent of  something  new  but  not 
alarming,  about  her,  and  they  felt  a  quick 
sense  of  relief,  that  another  dreaded  mile- 
stone along  their  path  of  misfortune  had 
been  passed.  They  had  said  nothing  to 
each  other,  but  both  had  anxiously 
awaited  the  girl's  first  letter  from  her 
lover  after  he  should  know  of  the  entire 
change  of  circumstances  and  plans.  Anne 
had  done  nobly,  left  to  herself,  but  what 
would  she  do  under  the  possible  pleading 
or  upbraiding  of  Donald? 

Supper  went  much  as  usual,  Murton 
Grey  being  a  great  safety  valve  in  these 
trying  times,  for  his  interests  went  on  un- 
abated, family  pauses  only  giving  him  the 
greater  opportunity  to  tell  of  some  won- 
derful kite,  wagon  or  boat  which  he  was 
making.  After  it  was  over  and  the  dishes 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     107 

done,  Anne  slipped  into  the  library  where 
her  father  sat  reading,  and  putting  her 
arms  about  his  neck  a  moment,  and  her 
cheek  against  his,  she  whispered,  "It's  all 
right,  father."  She  would  have  flown  as 
quickly,  but  his  arm  went  about  her  and 
she  knew  he  was  whispering,  "My  pre- 
cious child,"  in  his  heart,  as  well  as 
though  she  had  heard  it.  Then  she  mo- 
tioned to  her  mother  and  the  three, 
mother  and  two  girls,  went  up-stairs  to 
talk  the  letter  over. 

When  they  were  seated  in  Mrs.  Carter's 
room,  Anne  in  her  old  place  at  her 
mother's  feet,  she  began : 

"Donald  is  just  lovely  about  it  all, 
Mother;  he  says  he  can  see  how  you  do 
need  me  here,  just  now,  and  that  he  is  go- 
ing to  abide  entirely  by  my  judgment." 

"That  is  beautiful  of  Donald,"  said 
Mrs.  Carter  warmly,  "but  I  always  knew 


108  Anne's  Wedding 

we  might  expect  fine  things  of  him,  and 
you  just  tell  him  when  you  write,  Anne, 
that  we  are  going  to  turn  Cape  jessamines 
and  Southern  smilax  into  wedding  finery 
just  as  fast  as  we  can — we  are  not  a  Blos- 
som Shop  family  for  nothing!" 

Then  the  three  discussed  plans  enthusi- 
astically. Anne  had  read  of  baskets  be- 
ing made  of  pine  needles,  and  had  written 
to  the  editor  of  the  magazine  where  she 
had  seen  it  to  get  some  instructions  as  to 
the  making. 

"How  are  you  going  to  sell  them  when 
you  do  get  them  made?"  asked  May. 

"Why,  there  are  Woman's  Exchanges 
in  the  big  cities  now,  and  I  can  send  them 
there  to  be  sold.  Just  to  think  of  turning 
poor  old  pine  needles  as  well  as  flowers 
into  wedding  finery,  mother  I  I  will  have 
to  forgive  the  big,  gaunt  old  trees,  I  guess, 
for  making  me  feel  lonesome  with  their 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     109 

sighing,  many  and  many  a  time  when  I 
was  a  child — and  didn't  have  any 
mother."  And  in  characteristic  warm- 
heartedness she  reached  out  with  appre- 
ciative touch  for  the  hand  of  that  loving 
mother-instead;  then  added,  "Really 
though,  I  don't  think  pines  have  any  busi- 
ness being  about  motherless  children!  I 
am  willing  to  forgive  them  for  everything 
else. 

"There  is  another  possibility,  too,  May, 
I  haven't  told  you  of,"  she  went  on —  "and 
it  calls  for  more  forgiveness  of  childish 
grudges.  You  know  how  we  used  to  hate 
china-berries?  They  were  so  mushy  and 
ugly  smelling — ugh,  they  make  me  shiver 
right  now  to  think  how  we  would  have  to 
walk  over  them,  sometimes,  when  they 
were  dead-ripe  yellow  and  covered  the 
ground,  and  they  would  stick  to  our 
shoes !" 


110  Anne's  Wedding 

"What  in  the  world  can  be  done  with 
them,  I'd  like  to  know?"  cried  May,  with 
old  disgust.  "I'd  have  to  handle  them 
with  a  forty-foot  pole,  if  I  had  anything 
to  do  with  them!" 

Anne  laughed  gayly,  "Why,  you  turn 
them  into  necklaces,  if  you  please!" 

"Not  me,"  cried  May  again;  "I  don't 
want  any  china-berries  around  my  neck!" 

"Oh,  but  they  are  china-berries  no 
more!  Instead,  they  are  lovely  tinted 
beads  of  pink  or  blue,  or  lavender  or 
black,  or  any  color  you  choose  to  make 
them.  I  saw  the  illustration,  and  they 
are  lovely — most  promising  for  wedding 
finery — lots  more  so  even  than  pine 
needles!  You  just  dry  them  thoroughly, 
scrape  them  down  to  the  corrugated  seeds, 
and  then  dye  them  any  color  yon  want, 
and  string  them.  Sometimes  real  beads 
are  put  with  them  of  pearl  or  jet  and  you 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     111 

would  never  dream  they  were  old  china- 
berries  in  a  previous  incarnation !  I  think 
they  are  the  most  promising  things  yet,  for 
conversion  into  wedding  finery. 

"Then  there  is  still  another  possibility, 
that  is  delightful  all  the  way  through," 
said  Anne.  "Northern  people  don't 
know  anything  about  our  dear  little  chin- 
capins;  all  they  have  is  just  sober  chest- 
nuts. They  never  even  heard  about 
saucy,  ripe  chincapins  raining  down  in 
crisp,  brown  leaves  when  you  shake  the 
trees  in  the  fall,  and  hiding  so  you  can't 
find  them  without  racing  around  after 
them,  down  the  hill  sides  and  under  the 
leaves,  Aunt  Martha  once  told  me.  And, 
you  know,  when  you  do  find  them  they  are 
the  sweetest  little  nuts  to  eat  that  grow. 
I  am  going  to  gather  them  in  the  fall  and 
ship  them  North,  and  I  do  believe  they 
will  sell  1" 


112  Anne's  Wedding 

"I  should  think  so,','  returned  May,  "for 
people  who  don't  have  chincapins  are  cer- 
tainly missing  something.  And  I  tell  you 
what  would  be  nice — put  in  each  box  di- 
rections for  children  how  to  string  them 
and  make  necklaces  which  they  can  eat 
off  as  they  want  to,  for  nothing  is  more 
fun  than  that,"  and  she  laughed  in  happy 
recollection. 

"Fine!"  exclaimed  Anne;  "we  will  just 
do  it!  Oh,  we'll  be  millionaires  by  next 
year!" 

"And  wedding  finery  will  abound,"  put 
in  Mrs.  Carter  gayly.  "I'll  tell  you,  girls, 
what  we  can  do  when  we  develop  all  these 
promising  veins;  we  can  open  a  shop  for 
the  evolution  of  wedding  garments — after 
we  have  sent  Anne  off  with  her  Cinderella 
outfit"  (remembering  Anne's  delayed 
hopes) — "and  May  is  tired  of  teaching, 
perhaps,"  but  at  the  shake  of  a  determined 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     113 

young  head,  she  substituted,  "Or  we  can 
make  it  a  vacation  industry.  I  think  it 
would  be  a  quite  harmonious  side  line  for 
The  Blossom  Shop  family  to  pursue. 
They  are  supposed  to  make  all  sorts  of 
bloom  and  fragrance  put  forth  from  the 
homely  soil  and  barren  spots,  so  wedding 
garments  evolved  from  pine  needles,  chin- 
capins  and  china-berries,  would  be  simply 
a  crowning  performance  1" 

And  thus  they  made  merry  over  the 
new  methods  of  money-making  for  which 
Anne  was  really  earnestly  searching. 
She  had  seen  during  the  last  month  that 
the  poverty  which  had  come  so  suddenly 
upon  them  was  not  by  any  means  %a  myth. 
There  was  absolutely  no  ready  money  to 
be  spent,  the  thought  of  debt  was  impos- 
sible, Mr.  Carter  having  strong  convic- 
tions on  the  subject  in  the  large  sense,  and 
Mrs.  Carter,  in  her  long  struggle  for  a 


114  Anne's  Wedding 

living  for  herself  and  child,  having  im- 
bibed an  intolerance  for  it  in  little  things 
as  well,  which  she  had  imparted  to  the 
three  children  in  her  care  for  so  many 
years.  They  had  come  to  know  that 
money  was  not  to  be  spent  till  it  was  in 
hand  to  spend,  and  it  was  a  matter  for  no 
discussion  whatever.  They  had  been 
given  allowances  through  the  years  and 
taught  to  make  them  cover  needs,  or  there 
must  be  wholesome  doing  without.  So, 
now,  Anne  knew  no  exception  could  be 
made  of  "wedding  finery,"  as  she  put  it— 
and  there  must  be  no  thought  of  buying 
it  till  a  substantial  way  of  meeting  family 
needs  was  provided,  but  it  was  a  bit  heart- 
ening to  have  it  talked  about  gayly,  and 
this  was  the  feeling  with  the  trio. 

Donald's  letter  had  really  been  a  relief 
to  the  girl,  as  well  as  to  her  father  and 
mother,  and  there  must  be  some  reaction 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     115 

in  gayety.  Besides,  she  was  treasuring 
deep  in  her  heart  a  very  precious  para- 
graph which  gave  all  the  world  a  rose  tint, 
but  could  never  be  shown  to  any  one.  It 
was  this: 

"Oh,  Anne,  my  soul  went  down  so 
deep  into  the  sea  of  despair  when  I 
learned  that  you  could  not  come  with 
me  for  an  indefinite  period  yet,  that  I 
was  blinded  with  the  muddy  waters, 
and  I  could  not  see  how  fine  you  were 
in  all  your  self-sacrifice  at  home,  till  at 
last  the  sweet  vision  dawned  upon  me 
at  a  hint  from  father,  and  I  came  up 
washed  clean  of  selfishness,  with  a  flood 
of  gratitude  and  humility.  Such  a 
girl  as  you  are,  is  worth  waiting  for  as 
long  as  she  decrees !  Do  you  remember 
the  first  time  you  saw  me,  how  I  was 
buried  deep  in  the  miry  mud,  and  how 


116  Anne's  Wedding 

you,  with  your  dear  towsled  head  and 
shining  gray-blue  eyes,  pulled  with  all 
your  strength  to  get  me  out?  That  was 
in  the  physical ;  now  you  have  done  the 
same  thing  for  me  spiritually. 

"And,  do  you  know,  Anne,  I  can  hear 
you  singing  every  evening  in  the  music- 
room.  It  never  has  forgotten  that  you 
sung  there  once  1" 

Could  anything  be  dearer  than  that? 
Anne  thought  not,  and  no  wonder  her 
heart  was  all  the  blither  for  its  new,  deep 
experiences  of  life. 

The  next  day  she  and  May  were  going 
up  the  street  to  see  some  friends,  for  May 
was  leaving  for  her  teaching  engagement 
the  day  following.  They  were  talking 
brightly  together,  when  lo,  who  should 
be  coming  down  the  street  but  Colonel 
Thompson,  their  new  arch  enemy! 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     117 

May  stopped  still  a  moment.  Anne 
grasped  her  hand  hurriedly,  "Oh,  May, 
don't  let  him  see  you  stop,"  and  pulled  her 
along.  Fortunately  Colonel  Thompson 
was  looking  down,  and  he  was  far  enough 
away  for  them  to  talk  with  freedom. 

"I  just  hate  him,"  May  protested;  "I 
don't  want  to  meet  him!" 

"Well,  but  you  are  not  the  guilty  one," 
said  Anne;  "you  certainly  don't  want  to 
act  as  though  you  are!" 

May  had  not  thought  of  this  phase  of 
the  matter;  in  fact,  there  are  many  things 
to  be  carried  out  in  the  pursuit  of  hate, 
delicate  interlapping  motives  and  desired 
appearances,  which  only  the  adept  in  the 
business  knows  how  to  manage.  Anne 
had  been  along  the  path  for  a  month  now, 
and  she  had  learned  some  of  the  intrica- 
cies; but  with  the  promise  to  her  mother 
that  she  would  not  harbor  hatred,  her  eyes 


118  Anne's  Wedding 

were  opened  to  the  cost  and  futility  of 
it  for  a  life  motive.  Several  beautiful 
mornings,  which  had  been  saved  from 
spoiling  by  speaking  to  Colonel  Thomp- 
son in  the  old  friendly  way,  stood  to  her 
credit — and  satisfaction,  so  when  May 
added  to  her  speech  of  resentment,  "I  am 
not  going  to  speak  to  him,  anyway — the 
old  rascal,"  Anne  begged  earnestly, 
"May,  do  it  this  once!  I  haven't  got  time 
to  tell  you  'why,  but  I  will  when  we  have 
passed  him,"  whispering  the  last,  for 
he  was  then  within  hearing. 

Under  compulsion,  almost,  May  bowed 
stiffly  as  he  passed,  his  tall,  spare  figure 
bent,  his  eyes  on  the  ground  except  for  a 
fleeting  glance  up  at  the  girls  and  a  gut- 
tural sound  that  might  pass  for  a  greet- 
ing. It  was  all  in  great  contrast  to  the 
erect  carriage  and  courtly  manner  of  the 
Colonel  a  few  years  previous.  But  Anne 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     119 

had  smiled  most  pleasantly,  and  said, 
"Good  morning,  Colonel,"  just  as  she  had 
always  done  since  a  little  child. 

"How  could  you?"  exclaimed  May,  as 
soon  as  they  were  out  of  hearing.  "You 
just  made  me  bow,  but  I  certainly 
wouldn't  speak  to  him!" 

Anne  laughed  light-heartedly.  "Well, 
I'll  tell  you,  May.  It's  mother,  of  course, 
at  the  bottom  of  it.  I  felt  just  like  you 
do — only  worse;  I  positively  hated  him, 
till  mother  showed  me  how  much  it  costs 
anybody  to  hate  another,  and,  since  then, 
I  have  seen  enough  myself  to  find  that 
she  is  right.  This  morning,  for  instance, 
we  were  walking  along,  enjoying  every- 
thing in  spite  of  our  troubles,  then  Colo- 
nel Thompson  came  in  sight,  and  if  we 
hated  him,  everything  was  gone — all  the 
nice  morning — our  'glad  morning  faces,' 
as  mother  says  Stevenson  puts  it, — and, 


120  Anne's  Wedding 

you  know,  we  girls  do  love  to  look  pretty, 
whatever  comes  or  goes!  Besides,  we 
were  talking  about  such  happy,  interesting 
things,  and  we  would  just  have  had  to 
drop  it  all  and  talk  about  how  mean  he  is, 
and  hate  him  till  we  felt  positively  hate- 
ful ourselves.  Honestly,  May,  I've 
found  out  for  myself  this  month  that  it 
does  not  pay.  I  would  never  have 
thought  anything  about  it  if  it  had  not 
been  for  mother,  but  I  promised  her 
right  at  once  that  I  would  try  her  way,  and 
now  I  know  it  is  the  happiest.  Colonel 
Thompson  has  robbed  us,  that  is  true,  but 
that  is  no  reason  why  we  should  let  him 
rob  us  any  more — of  the  gladness  of  any 
day  that  comes." 

And  Anne,  in  passing  on  the  teaching  of 
her  mother,  grew  herself  in  earnest  con- 
viction, after  the  manner  of  teachers, 
while  May  found  hate  losing  its  grip  upon 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     121 

her  in  a  really  comfortable  fashion. 
"Mother  is  so  wonderful  in  her  way  of 
looking  at  things,"  she  said  pleasantly  at 
last. 

"Yes,"  returned  Anne,  "but  she  says  she 
has  tried  hate  and  knows  all  about  it." 

"It's  hard  to  think  that  of  mother," 
laughed  May,  "but  really,  Anne,  since 
I've  come  to  think  of  it,  it  must  take  lots 
of  energy  to  hate  folks ;  you  must  have  to 
plunge  in  and  go  to  work  at  it  often  when 
you  don't  feel  a  bit  like  exerting  yourself. 
You  know  I  am  lazy,"  she  added  comfort- 
ably, "about  everything  but  reading  or 
study.  I  felt  tired  all  over  when  Colonel 
Thompson  had  passed,  and  you  put  my 
mind  on  something  else,  letting  me  relax." 

The  two  laughed  together  at  them- 
selves, and  though  they  did  not  know  it,  at 
the  foolishness  of  humanity  which  vexes 
and  frets  and  wears  its  soul  out  in  re- 


122  Anne's  Wedding 

sentment  and  revenge,  which  always  cost 
the  giver  more  than  the  receiver. 

"Mother  thinks  of  more  quaint  things," 
said  Anne.  "She  claims  there  is  good  in 
every  one,  and  that  we  should  always  try 
to  bring  it  out.  We  were  talking  yester- 
day, you  know,  about  the  rusty  old  pine 
needles  that  did  not  seem  to  have  any 
possibility  of  good  in  them, — and  yet  they 
can  be  made  into  beautiful  baskets;  and 
the  old  china-berries,  which  seemed  just 
made  to  smell  unpleasantly,  but  can  be 
transformed  into  lovely  necklaces.  Colo- 
nel Thompson,  she  says,  may  show  he 
has  a  spark  of  something  beautiful  in  him 
yet,  and  we  may  help  to  develop  it." 

"Well,  that  is  beyond  me,"  said  May 
with  girlish  finality;  "I'm  willing  to  try 
not  to  hate  him,  but  that  is  all  I  am  going 
to  have  to  do  with  him." 

"I'm    afraid    I    feel    that   way,    too," 


New  Industries  and  Philosophies     123 

laughed  Anne.  "We'll  have  to  leave  the 
rest  to  mother.  She  reminded  me,  in 
talking  about  this,  that  we  are  a  Blossom 
Shop  family  and  must  raise  flowers  and 
not  weeds,  but  she'll  always  have  to  do 
the  finest  part  of  the  Blossom  Shop  fam- 
ily jobs,  I  guess." 

And  they  went  on  in  their  walk,  never 
suspecting  that  they  had  turned  a  corner 
in  life  and  were  facing  the  sun  which  is  so 
necessary  for  choicest  blooming,  and 
which  scorches  the  dank  weeds  of  hate. 

Next  day  May  took  the  train  for  South 
Carolina  where  she  began  her  work  as 
teacher. 


CHAPTER  VI 

GENE  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

I3LUNT  Martha,  Uncle  Doctor  and 
Gene  Carter  Grey  were  meantime  having 
a  most  interesting  time  in  the  mountain 
region  of  Alabama.  In  their  first  ascents 
they  were  delighted  with  the  beautiful 
ferns  along  sheltered  streams, — nothing 
could  be  prettier  in  the  finest  florist  shops ; 
and  wild  flowers,  even  in  mid-winter, 
were  peeping  out  from  moss  covered 
stones  here  and  there  to  delight,  but  they 
found  much  in  the  way  of  human  growth 
or  non-growth,  that  was  almost  unbeliev- 
able. Keeping  near  the  towns  for  hotel 

accommodation  at  first,  they  gradually 
124 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          125 

learned  of  places  to  stop  further  within 
the  mountain  fastnesses;  and,  while  this 
meant  discomfort,  it  also  meant  unusual 
experiences.  They  came  upon  little  log 
huts  in  the  woods  with  only  one  room  and 
swarms  of  white-haired,  scantily-clad,  so- 
ber-faced children  who  gazed  upon  them 
wide-eyed  as  they  drove  up.  And  Gene 
soon  found  exquisite  pleasure  in  putting 
dolls  into  little  hands  that  reached  for 
them  in  sudden  awakening  of  the  univer- 
sal child-instinct  which  had  kept  them 
yearning  for  they  knew  not  what,  but 
which  found  satisfaction  instantly  at  sight 
of  a  doll.  Then  there  were  little  wagons 
and  horses  tucked  in  their  phaeton  for  the 
boys,  and  the  three  felt  the  thrills  of  trav- 
eling Santa  Clauses. 

"This  is  something  like,"  said  the  doc- 
tor with  great  satisfaction,  as  they  drove 
away  from  a  cabin,  leaving  each  child  in 


126  Anne's  Wedding 

dazed  delight,  "but  I'm  afraid  we  will 
forget  all  about  blind  children  in  this 
charming  business  of  putting  something 
before  eyes  that  can  see  and  have  only 
earth  and  trees  and  sky  to  look  at.  Na- 
ture is  all  right,  of  course,  but  these  peo- 
ple are  just  buried  in  it,  and  that  is  too 
much  of  a  good  thing.  Don't  know  how 
to  read,  write,  or  live!  What  are  we  do- 
ing that  we  let  folks  exist  like  this?" 

And  the  more  they  penetrated  the 
mountains,  the  more  astonished  they  were 
to  find  continually  a  people  that  did  not 
even  know  how  to  raise  articles  for  food. 
They  had  no  gardens  or  crops,  except 
corn,  and  no  cows  or  chickens;  only  hogs 
that  lazily  wallowed  beneath  high-set 
cabins  and  furnished  the  bacon,  which, 
with  the  corn  hoe-cake,  made  up  their  to- 
tal bill  of  fare. 

Aunt  Martha  could  not  cease  her  ex- 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          127 

clamations.  With  her  thrifty,  immacu- 
late New  England  ways,  she  could  not 
comprehend  such  a  people.  At  first  she 
protested,  "They  could  do  better — they 
are  simply  lazy,"  but  as  she  felt  more  and 
more  the  oppression  of  mountain  solitude 
and  isolation,  she  exclaimed,  "It  is  un- 
canny! Let  us  leave  it  all  or  I  shall  re- 
vert, myself,  to  primitive  conditions!" 

At  this  Uncle  Doctor  and  Gene 
laughed,  but  it  was  oppressive,  and  the 
giving  of  toys  to  the  children,  after  the 
sight  of  their  joy  had  faded,  seemed  only 
a  mockery. 

"Let's  go  back  and  find  some  way  to 
help  them,"  said  Gene,  and  having  found 
and  made  arrangements  for  several  chil- 
dren who  were  blind,  or  nearly  so,  to  be 
sent  to  the  sanatorium  for  treatment,  all 
gladly  stopped  at  a  big  iron  ore  plant 
where  there  was  a  rude  boarding-house, 


128 Anne's  Wedding 

which  could  accommodate  them  for  a  few 
days. 

A  big  furnace  was  the  center  of  the 
plant,  where  iron  ore,  being  industriously 
gathered  now  from  the  surrounding 
mountains,  was  converted  into  pig  iron. 
It  was  an  interesting  spot  for  all,  but  es- 
pecially for  Gene,  who,  with  the  eager- 
ness of  youth,  wanted  to  see  how  such 
things  were  done. 

At  their  first  dinner  in  the  boarding- 
house  a  young  man  came  in  whom  they 
knew  instantly  did  not  belong  to  the  re- 
gion. The  doctor  looked  keenly  at  the 
young  man  while  he  bowed  to  them  in  a 
general  way  as  he  seated  himself — a  cour- 
tesy which  fitted  well  into  the  rude  set- 
ting. 

He  was  strongly  built,  of  medium 
height  and  broad  shoulders;  his  face  was 
clean-cut,  earnest  and  intelligent;  his 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          129 

broad  forehead  and  soft  brown  hair,  his 
well-shaped,  but  recently  hardened  hands, 
showed  refinement,  and  his  demeanor  at 
table  marked  him  a  gentleman.  Quickly 
appraising,  the  doctor  entered  into  con- 
versation with  him,  and  learned  that  he 
and  his  brother  were  proprietors  of  the 
big  iron  furnace,  and  had  been  operating 
it  for  about  a  year.  There  was  a  little 
grimness  in  this  last  statement  that  the 
doctor  failed  to  detect,  and  the  young  man 
proved  so  pleasant  and  intelligent  that  the 
doctor  soon  included  his  wife  and  Gene 
in  the  conversation,  without  introducing 
them  to  the  stranger,  social  conformity 
dropping  from  the  consciousness  of  all  in 
the  crude  surroundings. 

"Where  is  your  home?"  inquired  Aunt 
Martha  frankly. 

"Kentucky,"  returned  the  young  man 
pleasantly.  "I  am  from  Louisville,  and 


130  Anne's  Wedding 

come  from  a  race  of  lawyers,  but  my 
brother  and  I  wanted  to  get  out  into  the 
open,  and  we  trained  for  this  sort  of  work 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  A 
little  legacy  made  this  opening  possible 
for  us,  and  we  came  down  and  bought  the 
abandoned  furnace  here  a  year  ago." 

He  was  thus  frank  for  it  was  so  good  to 
be  in  touch  with  his  own  kind  once  more, 
and  the  sight  of  Gene's  fair  face  and  clear, 
lovely  eyes  was  like  an  oasis  to  a  thirsty 
desert  traveler.  He  just  wanted  to  talk 
to  her  instantly — Oh,  how  long  it  had 
been  since  he  talked  to  a  girl!  He  never 
had  "run  after"  girls,  he  would  have  said, 
but  the  thought  of  talking  to  one  now 
made  him  positively  hungry,  and  he  en- 
vied the  veriest  idler  who  could  pose  on 
the  street  corners  and  see  them  every  day 
at  home.  He  paved  the  way  at  once  with 
the  facts  about  himself.  Then  he  must 


Gene  in  the  Mountains  131 

go  to  let  his  brother  come  for  dinner,  but 
took  time  to  return  with  him  a  moment 
that  he  might  be  introduced  to  the  new- 
found friends. 

"This  is  my  brother,"  he  said,  putting 
an  arm  about  the  shoulders  that  were  not 
quite  so  big  or  broad  as  his  own,  but  which 
held  erect  a  shock  of  brilliant  red  hair 
crowning  a  well-shaped  head,  "George 
Chauncy  Griffith.  My  name  is  Willard 
Chauncy  Griffith," — he  added,  smiling. 
"I  want  to  share  with  him  this  greatest 
treat  which  has  fallen  to  my  lot  in  many 
moons — this  meeting  with  pleasant  com- 
pany— and  I  do  assure  you  he  is  a  first- 
rate  fellow!"  The  doctor  then  followed 
with  the  giving  of  his  own  name  and  the 
presenting  of  his  wife  and  Gene  formally. 

Lifting  his  hat,  the  older  young  man 
was  gone  at  once,  while  George  took  his 
place  at  table.  The  three  lingered  to  talk 


132  Anne's  Wedding 

with  him.  He  proved  not  quite  so  ready 
in  manner,  but  had  a  boyish  frankness  that 
won  them,  while  he  told  much  that  was 
interesting  about  the  mountain  people 
and  their  surroundings. 

In  the  evening  after  supper  they  sat 
about  the  blazing  log  fire  in  the  broad  fire- 
place of  the  dining-room,  for  the  crude 
boarding-house  furnished  no  parlor,  and 
the  two  young  men  reveled  in  the  com- 
panionship of  "their  kind  of  folks,"  as 
they  put  it  to  each  other,  later. 

It  happened  that  the  older  young  man, 
Willard,  sat  nearest  to  Gene,  and  they 
finally  fell  into  individual  talk,  while 
George  interested  the  doctor  and  his  wife 
with  further  account  of  the  mountains  and 
their  people. 

Gene  had  seen  the  tall,  gaunt  building 
which  held  the  furnace  and  its  immense 
smoke  stack,  and  she  was  interested  at 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          133 

once  in  the  processes  of  iron  making. 
With  all  her  flower-like  delicacy,  Gene 
had  a  very  alert  comprehension  for  prac- 
tical things.  Her  New  England  grand- 
father had  made  his  money  as  a  manufac- 
turer; and,  though  Gene  did  not  know  it 
as  yet,  the  constructive  and  commercial 
held  strong  interest  for  her.  She  wanted 
Mr.  Griffith  to  tell  her  all  about  digging 
the  ore,  smelting  it  and  bringing  it  forth 
in  pig  iron. 

"You  must  see  the  furnace  make  a  run," 
said  Willard,  delighted  by  her  alert  grasp 
of  everything  he  had  told  her.  Then  a 
shadow  passed  over  his  face  as  his  heart 
sounded  an  old  alarm — "It  may  be  the  last 
run  it  will  make." 

0 

But  the  shadow  did  not  catch  Gene's 
eyes,  and  Willard  warmed  again  to  her 
questions. 

"When  are  you  going  to  make  the  next 


134  Anne's  Wedding 

one?"  She  had  discovered  already  that 
"runs"  were  not  made  every  day. 

"I  think  we  will  be  ready  to  make  one 
to-morrow  night,"  he  replied. 

"Oh,  won't  that  be  splendid !"  she  cried. 

"It  is  a  fine  sight,"  returned  Willard. 

It  was  soon  time  to  separate  for  the 
night,  and  when  they  met  next  day  at  din- 
ner it  was  almost  as  old  friends,  the  home- 
longing  young  fellows  had  so  reached  out 
for  and  won  the  kindly  comradeship  of  all 
three. 

The  doctor  had  said  to  his  wife  the 
night  before:  "I  think  I  know  something 
about  the  human  kind,  and  those  two 
young  fellows  are  all  right.  Clean,  high- 
minded,  well-born,  ambitious  boys.  I 
hope  they  will  succeed  in  their  big  under- 
taking, and  I  think  they  will,  for  they 
work, — you  can  see  that." 

"Yes,"   replied  his  wife,  "and  I  like 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          135 

their  putting  the  legacy  they  received  at 
once  into  the  way  of  making  more,  instead 
of  spending  it,  as  many  young  men  would 
have  done." 

The  two  Griffiths  were  up  long  before 
the  travelers  had  their  breakfast,  so  the 
parties  did  not  meet  in  the  morning. 

Again  the  young  men  were  at  the  din- 
ner table  one  at  a  time,  for  one  must  "stay 
by  the  stuff,"  as  Willard  put  it,  while  the 
other  ate. 

The  chief  topic  of  interest  was  the 
"run"  of  the  furnace  for  the  night.  Wil- 
lard was  sure  they  would  have  it,  in  fact 
was  pushing  everything  in  order  to  do  so 
for  the  entertainment  of  the  new  friends. 

At  supper  Willard  was  not  there,  but 
George  came  over  for  a  hasty  meal  and 
took  the  three  visitors  back  with  him. 

After  a  short  walk  the  furnace  loomed 
big  and  black  against  the  quiet  sky  of  the 


136  Anne's  Wedding 

solitary  mountain  region,  and  seemed  an 
anachronism  with  its  belching  smoke  and 
busy  night-workmen.  There  was  some- 
thing weird  about  it  to  Gene's  delicate 
sensibilities,  but  Willard  met  them  at  the 
entrance  with  business-like  alertness,  a 
lantern  in  his  hand,  and  said,  "Now  you 
must  go  first  up  to  the  top  and  see  the  big 
beast's  open  mouth." 

"Oh,  you  make  me  shiver,"  said  Gene, 
and  laughing,  he  took  her  hand,  laid  it  on 
his  arm  in  a  matter-of-fact  sort  of  assur- 
ance, and  led  the  way  along  a  narrow 
passage  to  the  far  interior  of  the  building ; 
there  they  mounted  some  very  precarious 
stairs,  as  they  seemed  to  Gene,  and 
climbed  up  and  up  into  grim  darkness,  the 
doctor  and  Miss  Martha  following,  being 
piloted  by  George,  also  with  a  lantern. 
All  reached  the  top  in  safety,  and  watched 
from  the  weird  height  while  workmen 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          137 

shoveled  the  ore  from  a  broad  platform 
into  the  great  round  stack  which  Willard 
had  called  the  beast's  mouth.  There  was 
so  much  noise  that  they  could  only  stand 
silent  as  they  watched,  and  Gene's  sense 
of  uncanniness  almost  over-balanced  her 
keen  interest  in  the  proceeding,  so  she 
really  was  glad  when  Willard  turned  to 
go  down  the  narrow  stairs  again. 

Next  they  went  into  the  big  main  hall 
of  the  building,  and  there  the  great  flam- 
ing fire  was  greedily  licking  in  the  coal 
that  was  fed  it  by;  sweltering  workmen. 
Again  they  all  watched  silently  amid  the 
noise  of  shoveling  coal  and  roaring  heat. 
Then  Willard  and  George  pointed  out  to 
them  the  great  beds  of  sand  with  narrow 
paths  running  through  them  in  regular 
patterns,  where  the  molten  stream  of  iron 
would  find  its  way,  when  all  was  ready, 
and  congeal  again  in  proper  shape. 


138  Anne's  Wedding 

They  continued  to  watch  the  work  un- 
der the  fierce  flame-light,  which  lit  the 
high  rude  beams  above  with  ruddy  play- 
ing flare. 

"Any  moment  it  is  due  now,"  said  Wil- 
lard  at  last  in  Gene's  ear — and  suddenly 
there  was  a  shout,  while  workmen  ran  to 
safety. 

Then  the  molten  stream  poured  like  a 
great,  flaming,  hissing  serpent  from  out 
the  fiery  cauldron,  and  came  with  fierce, 
consuming  heat  down  the  pathway  and 
into  the  narrow  patterns  through  the  sand, 
with  a  sulphurous  light  that  was  weird 
and  beautiful  in  the  highest  degree. 

They  were  forced  back  by  the  heat  to 
seats  far  in  the  rear,  which  Willard  and 
George  had  provided,  and  there  watched 
further  while  the  flaming  pattern  lines 
dimmed  in  their  brilliance,  then  grew 
dull,  and  finally  duller,  till  the  fiery  spec- 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          139 

tacle  had  faded  like  a  passing  meteor. 

"So  ends  the  whole  thing,"  said  Wil- 
lard  to  Gene,  in  sudden  depression  which 
she  could  not  fail  to  catch,  while  George 
was  animatedly  explaining  processes  to 
the  doctor  and  Aunt  Martha. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  the  girl  asked, 
with  quick  sympathetic  inquiry. 

"Just  that,"  he  said  grimly.  Then  he 
turned  to  her  with  a  half  smile.  "To  use 
a  very  crude  expression,  that  seems  to  fit 
these  surroundings  and  our  condition, 
George  and  I,  I  am  afraid,  have  'bit  off 
more  than  we  can  chaw !'  This  outfit  cost 
a  good  deal — which  we  were  able  to  meet 
all  right,  but  running  the  thing  takes 
more  capital  than  we  supposed,  and  I 
don't  know  that  we  can  squeeze  out  an- 
other run!" 

"Oh,"  said  Gene,  "that  must  not  be!" 
And  there  was  almost  pain  in  the  sensitive 


140  Anne's  Wedding 

face,  so  quick  was  her  response  to  the 
trouble  in  his. 

Seeing  it,  Willard  instantly  pulled  him- 
self together.  What  right  had  he  to  in- 
flict his  financial  distress  upon  any  one, 
much  less  this  fair  young  girl  who  was  so 
evidently  made  for  the  beautiful  and  pros- 
perous things  of  life? 

"Oh,  I  have  thought  that  before  and 
yet  made  it  once  again,"  he  said,  "and  so 
I  will  keep  on  doing  as  long  as  there  is  a 
ghost  of  a  chance,  and  the  old  furnace  will 
yield  a  spark  of  flame." 

And  his  lips  set  firmly  while  he  took 
up  some  interesting  technicalities  of  the 
run  which  they  had  just  seen.  Then,  as 
they  walked  back  to  the  boarding-house, 
he  talked  animatedly  of  his  plans  for  the 
work  in  a  broad  way.  He  wanted  to  have 
a  little  church  spire  rising  from  a  grassy 
knoll  which  he  pointed  out,  and  a  school 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          141 

house  close  by,  where  he  hoped  to  gather 
in  the  children  of  their  workmen,  whom' 
they  drew  from  the  mountains  largely, 
and  who  could  neither  read  nor  write,  and 
whose  children  had  no  chance  whatever 
for  education  unless  the  furnace  interest 
brought  it  to  them.  Then  he  would  have 
baths  for  the  men,  and  a  reading-room, 
and  numberless  things  had  been  planned 
which  enlisted  Gene's  enthusiastic  inter- 
est. 

As  they  neared  the  house  he  said :  "Miss 
Grey,  please  do  not  think  too  much  of  my 
discouragement  at  the  run.  I  am  going 
to  try  to  get  away  after  a  bit,  perhaps,  and 
see  if  I  cannot  enlist  some  capital  at  home. 
George  and  I  have  really  too  much  to  do. 
The  mountaineers  whom  we  employ 
know  absolutely  nothing,  and  many  of 
them  are  lazy — simply  because  they  have 
not  for  generations  been  trained  to  work. 


142  Anne's  Wedding 

He  must  watch  them  constantly  while 
they  mine  the  ore,  and  I  must  spend  every 
minute  at  the  furnace  itself.  We  need  a 
man  to  manage  the  business  end  of  it." 

There  they  said  good  night,  and  Gene 
felt  much  easier  about  the  young  men  and 
their  venture. 

Next  morning  there  was  a  good  deal 
of  forwarded  mail  for  the  travelers,  and 
Gene  eagerly  tore  open  a  letter  from  her 
mother  as  she,  Uncle  Doctor  and  Aunt 
Martha  sat  together.  With  a  warm  glow 
upon  her  face  she  read  the  first  few  lines, 
saying  how  they  all  were.  Then  the 
color  went  out  of  her  cheeks,  and  she 
finally  laid  the  letter  down  with  a  catch 
in  her  breath  and  startled  fear  in  her 
eyes. 

Aunt  Martha  saw  it  instantly.  "Why, 
what  is  it,  Gene?"  she  exclaimed. 

"Oh,  read  it — I  can't  tell  you,"  she  an- 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          143 

swered,  in  distress,  handing  out  the  letter. 

Aunt  Martha  read  in  haste,  and  equally 
distressed,  learned  of  the  disastrous  finan- 
cial losses  of  Mr.  Carter. 

The  doctor  anxiously  waited  his  turn 
to  know  and  Aunt  Martha  handed  him 
the  letter  without  a  word.  When  he  was 
through,  he  said  with  characteristic  op- 
timism, "It  probably  is  not  nearly  so  bad 
as  you  think.  I  guarantee  Carter  gets  out 
of  it  all  right." 

But  Gene  knew  her  mother  was  not 
given  to  exaggeration,  so  did  Aunt  Mar- 
tha, and  with  the  first  remembrance  in 
detail  from  the  letter  smiting  her  afresh — 
"Anne  must  give  up  her  wedding  plans 
and  help  in  the  matter  of  our  daily  living 
for  a  time,"  Gene  exclaimed : 

"Can  we  go  home  right  away — to- 
day?" 

Seeing  the  urgency  in  the  girl's  face, 


1-44  Anne's  Wedding 

the  doctor  answered,  "Why,  yes,  we  can, 
if  you  wish." 

"I  say  so,  too,"  cried  Aunt  Martha. 
They  must  get  there  at  once  and  see  for 
themselves — and  help,  Gene  and  Aunt 
Martha  were  both  crying  in  their  hearts. 
"We  have  plenty  of  money,  why  should 
those  we  love  lack  for  anything?" 

But  the  doctor  understood  men  better 
than  they  did,  and  knew  in  the  moment  of 
his  discovery  of  Mr.  Carter's  financial 
straits,  that  he  would  not  take  money  help 
from  any  one. 

So,  it  was  with  a  heavy  heart,  wholly 
unlike  the  big,  jolly  member  to  which 
they  were  accustomed,  that  the  doctor 
made  plans  for  getting  off.  He  felt  a  de- 
pressing surety  that  the  eager,  helpful 
intentions  of  his  wife  and  Gene  were 
doomed  to  disappointment. 

When  the  two  young  Griffiths  came, 


Gene  in  the  Mountains          145 

in  turn,  to  dinner,  they  were  surprised  and 
no  little  disappointed  to  find  that  their 
new  friends  were  going  at  once.  No  hint 
was  given,  of  course,  of  sudden  trouble. 
They  had  concluded  it  was  best  from  some 
letters  just  received  that  they  make  their 
way  back  to  civilization. 

"I  don't  blame  you  for  doing  that,"  said 
Willard  with  a  smile,  "but  I  do  hope  you 
will  come  again  when  my  model  work- 
man's village  has  spread  itself  upon  this 
dreary  mountain  canvas." 

He  said  it  to  all,  but  his  eyes  sought 
Gene's  for  encouragement. 

She  was  quickly  responsive.  Looking 
frankly  back  in  return,  she  said  warmly: 

"We  will,  for  I  know  you  are  going  to 
bring  it  all  to  pass  in  good  time." 

"Thank  you,"  his  eyes  again  said;  "that 
is  going  to  make  me  do  it,  if  anything 


can." 


CHAPTER  VII 

A  REPULSED  PHILANTHROPIST 

Ji\S  the  three  travelers  approached  the 
Carter  home  unannounced,  Gene,  who 
was  a  bit  ahead,  had  the  feeling  of 
awe  which  is  felt  at  an  approach  to  the 
house  of  death.  In  her  thought  a  shadow 
hovered  over  everything;  unnatural  si- 
lence brooded;  the  magnolias,  citronellas 
and  wild  olives  drooped  uncertainly,  to 
her  anxious  eyes,  while  the  flowering  al- 
mond, just  coming  into  soft  blossom, 
seemed  to  be  making  a  pitiful,  unsuccess- 
ful effort.  When  she  turned  into  the  gate 
and  went  along  the  walk  to  the  house,  past 


146 


A  Repulsed  Philanthropist       147 

rioting  yellow  jonquils,  many-hued  hya- 
cinths and  fragrant  purple  violets,  her 
spirits  rose  a  little,  there  was  no  mistaking 
the  evidence  of  happy  thrift  here,  and  be- 
fore they  reached  the  front  door,  Anne, 
industriously  sweeping  the  front  porch, 
looked  up  and  spied  them. 

"Oh,  oh!"  she  cried,  and  the  broom 
found  sudden  lodgement  against  a  porch 
pillar  while  she  flew  down  the  steps  to 
meet  her  sister,  all  radiant  youth  and 
spirits. 

They  rushed  together,  and  Gene  could 
only  cling  to  Anne,  and  cry,  with  a  little 
break  in  her  voice,  "Is — is  everything  all 
right?" 

"Why,  of  course  it  is,"  returned  Anne, 
laughing.  "  'God  is  in  His  heaven — all's 
right  with  the  world! ' 

With  an  English  lover,  Anne  had  in- 
evitably fallen  upon  Browning  with  avid- 


148  Anne's  Wedding 

ity  long  since,  and  nothing  came  readier 
to  her  tongue.  Besides,  Browning  had 
been  the  "family  poet-laureate"  of  Don- 
ald and  his  mother,  as  they  had  come  to 
put  it  when  they  were  children,  just  as 
Emily  Dickinson  had  been  the  Carters', 
and  she  had  prepared  for  a  union  of  the 
two — some  day! 

Then  joyous  Anne  flew  on  to  meet  the 
doctor  and  Aunt  Martha,  who  were  just 
turning  in  at  the  gate. 

Aunt  Martha  held  her  with  unusual 
tenderness,  but  the  doctor,  after  a  quick 
kiss,  forced  her  off  at  arm's  length,  and 
searched  the  fair  face  which,  by  then, 
held  a  mist  of  tears  before  the  laughter. 
But  she  met  his  search  with  eyes  that 
shone  bravely  through  the  mist,  and  he 
drew  her  to  him  a  moment  to  give  her 
respite,  while  he  cried  softly,  "True  blue, 
just  as  I  thought!  I  tell  you  these  South- 


A  Repulsed  Philanthropist       149 

ern  blossoms  are  all  right — no  fading 
tints  in  them!" 

And  they  went  slowly  up  the  walk  to- 
gether, asking  and  answering  questions, 
while  Gene  had  run  with  light  step  into 
the  house  in  search  of  her  mother.  The 
meeting  with  Anne  had  dispelled  many 
shadowing  fancies,  and  she  was  full  of  joy 
of  meeting  that  loved  mother. 

It  was  not  long  till  the  two  were  in  each 
other's  arms,  and  they  were  left  for  a  little 
time  alone. 

"Mother — how  are  you-all?"  cried 
Gene,  again  remembering,  but  this  time 
with  cheerier  note. 

"We  are  just  as  well  as  can  be,  little 
girl — 'the  hills  untie  their  bonnets'  and 
'the  bobolinks  begin,'  with  the  rising  of 
the  sun,  just  as  they  used  to  when  you  were 
all  children,"  she  smiled,  going  back  to 
the  little  Emily  Dickinson  poem  which 


150  Anne's  Wedding 

they  had  loved  so  in  the  early  days  of 
struggle,  and  Gene's  last  bit  of  shadow 
flitted  back  for  the  time  being,  at  least, 
into  the  night's  past  gloom. 

There  was  happy  greeting  then,  all 
around,  and  soon  a  little  visit  out  to  Uncle 
Sam's  cabin,  where  in  gradually  increas- 
ing feebleness  he  kept  his  bed  most  of  the 
time  now.  Both  he  and  Mammy  Sue 
were  proud  and  pleased  to  be  remembered 
so  promptly. 

They  went  to  the  library  and  sat  down 
for  talk  of  the  travelers'  experiences  in  the 
mountains  and  were  much  entertained, 
though  Anne  soon  slipped  out  to  make 
her  preparations  for  the  noon  meal,  and 
Mr.  Carter  came  in  later  to  greet  them 
with  all  the  warmth  that  a  thoroughly 
disspirited  man  could  muster.  He 
looked  so  worn  and  old,  so  utterly  unlike 
himself,  that  Gene  felt  the  shadows  drop 


A  Repulsed  Philanthropist       151 

suddenly  about  her  again,  and  the  doctor 
had  to  utilize  all  his  store  of  quaint  humor 
in  the  recounting  of  recent  experiences  to 
restore  the  normal  atmosphere  of  that 
most  hospitable  of  homes,  and  this  itself 
might  have  failed  had  not  Murton  Grey 
come  in  at  meal-time  and  contributed 
eager  questions  about  mountain  things 
with  alert,  boyish  interest. 

It  was  the  next  day  before  Gene  and 
her  mother  had  an  opportunity  for  the 
talk  for  which  Gene  was  most  eager. 
She  had  meant  to  speak  to  Mr.  Carter, 
but  that  was  impossible,  she  knew,  the 
moment  she  looked  into  his  face.  She 
could  never  say  what  she  wanted  to,  to 
him,  without  quivering  lips — even  if  he 
were  willing  to  listen  to  her — and  this  she 
instinctively  doubted  now. 

After  the  morning  work  was  done,  with 
which  Gene  insisted  upon  helping  her 


152  Anne's  Wedding 

mother  and  Anne,  they  sat  down,  at  last, 
in  Mrs.  Carter's  room  and  Gene  began  at 
once. 

"Now,  mother,  you  know  I  must  help 
you-all  in  this  trouble  which  has  come. 
Why  didn't  you  send  for  me  at  once?"  she 
ended  reproachfully. 

The  mother  smiled  back  and  waited 
several  moments  before  she  spoke. 
"Gene,  you  must  be  the  little  girl — even 
the  little  blind  daughter  once  more"  (she 
almost  whispered  this) ,  "and  trust  mother 
absolutely!  It  is  not  going  to  be  possible 
for  you  to  help  us — except  to  love  us,  just 
as  you  always  have  done!" 

"But — oh,  mother,"  she  cried,  "you 
cannot  be  so  cruel — you  will  not  make  me 
have  everything  and  you  nothing!"  And 
it  ended  with  a  sob. 

There  followed  the  most  trying  experi- 
ence between  mother  and  daughter  of  all 


A  Repulsed  Philanthropist       153 

their  lives,  but  in  the  end  Mrs. Carter  con- 
vinced Gene  that  she  must  let  them  meet 
the  struggle,  which  was  somehow  meant 
for  them,  without  money-help  from  any 
one, — even  if  she  could  not  see  the  reasons. 
There  was  just  one  last,  firm  stand  on 
Gene's  part  before  final,  forced  capitula- 
tion. 

Why  couldn't  she  give  Anne  her  trous- 
seau, and  let  her  be  married  at  the  ex- 
pected time? 

"Mother,  I  think  that  is  only  justice  to 
Anne  and  Donald.  They  have  waited 
patiently  till  he  was  ready — and  now 
they  ought  not  to  have  to  suffer  for  Colo- 
nel Thompson's  dishonesty!" 

The  mother  smiled  at  the  heated  n^n- 
tion  of  their  spoiler,  as  she  had  with  the 
other  two  girls,  and  said,  "We  haven't 
anything  to  do  with  Colonel  Thompson 
in  this  matter — we  have  all  agreed  not  to 


154  Anne's  Wedding 

think  of  him — Mr.  Carter  obligated  him- 
self of  his  own  free  will — it  is  a  debt,  and 
he  must  pay  it — no  one  else — we  certainly 
do  not  want  to  imitate  Colonel  Thompson 
in  that — and  we,  Anne  and  I,  are  going 
to  help  till  everything  gets  in  better  shape 
for  Mr.  Carter." 

"And  you  cut  me  off  from  helping — 
just  as  though  I  didn't  belong,"  said 
Gene  with  eyes  blazing  a  bit,  and  quiver- 
ing lips. 

"Oh,  no,  you  are  going  to  help, — didn't 
you,  this  morning,  help  us  with  every- 
thing we  were  doing?" 

This  was  mockery,  though  Mrs.  Carter 
was  too  much  in  earnest  to  see  it. 

Gene  turned  away  from  her  mother 
for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  and  went 
out  unreconciled,  though  obliged  to  con- 
form. 

She  at  once  sought  Uncle  Doctor  and 


A  Repulsed  Philanthropist       155 

Aunt  Martha,  and  told  them  of  her  fail- 
ure to  do  one  thing! 

"It  is  just  as  I  thought,"  said  the  doctor 
brusquely.  "I  didn't  want  to  dishearten 
you  two  on  the  trip,  but  I  knew  Carter 
wouldn't  take  money  from  either  of  you— 
and  I  am  bound  to  say  I  admire  him  for  it. 
He  made  a  mistake  in  putting  his  name  to 
any  paper  for  any  amount  which  he  was 
not  quite  prepared  to  pay;  he  knows  it, 
and  like  the  true  man  that  he  is,  he  wants 
to  pay  the  debt,  if  it  takes  all  he  has,  and 
then  work  out  his  problem  instead  of  be- 
ing supported  by  some  one  else,  and  we 
must  give  him  time.  He  has  not  yet  had 
opportunity  to  find  himself,  he  says;  he 
will,  as  soon  as  possible,  arrange  to  pay  off 
the  debt  fully,  and  then  will  turn  to  some- 
thing, if  it  must  be  buying  a  little  farm  on 
credit,  and  working  to  pay  for  it  while  he 
raises  a  crop  and  provides  a  living  for  his 


156  Anne's  Wedding 

family.  As  for  Anne,  she  has  met  it  all 
nobly ;  every  day  that  passes  is  making  her 
finer  and  finer,"  he  ended,  with  enthusi- 
asm for  his  old  favorite,  Anne. 

But  this  did  not  satisfy  Gene.  She 
went  to  her  own  room  much  downcast  in 
spirit  under  life's  first  clouds.  She  sat 
disconsolately  by  the  window  listless  and 
unseeing. 

Mammy  Sue  came  to  the  door,  after  a 
while,  to  lay  some  fresh  linen  on  the  bed ; 
remembering  Uncle  Sam,  the  girl  turned 
and  asked  dully,  "How  is  Uncle  Sam,  this 
morning,  Mammy  Sue?" 

The  answer  was  of  even  more  leaden 
hue: 

"He's  sinkin'  fas',  Miss  Gene,  hit  won't 
be  long  twell  the  trump'  will  soun'  fer 
him,"  and  the  old  woman  did  not  trust 
herself  to  say  more.  She  turned  and  left 
with  feebte  step. 


A  Repulsed  Philanthropist       157 

"Oh,  the  world  is  nothing  but  trouble," 
this  young  girl  cried  out  in  her  heart, 
with  youth  and  beauty  and  more  money 
than  she  knew  what  to  do  with  at  her  com- 
mand! 

In  deep  depression  she  went  over  all  the 
sorrowful  present — and  somehow,  recol- 
lection came  of  Willard  Griffith's  grim: 
"So  ends  the  whole  thing,"  as  they 
watched  the  dying  brilliance  of  the  run, 
which  might  be  his  last,  and  this  phrase 
was  destined  to  linger  as  an  undercurrent 
of  haunting  pessimism. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

BUSY  DAYS 


/\S  soon  as  her  school  was  out  the  day 
after  the  travelers  had  arrived,  Cahaba 
was  at  the  Carters'.  She  had  heard  of 
the  visitors'  coming,  appeared  unan- 
nounced in  the  kitchen,  and  was  busy  at 
work  there  when  Anne  went  in  to  begin 
her  preparations  for  the  evening  meal. 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  Cahaba?" 
cried  Anne,  surprised. 

"Just  getting  supper,"  returned  Cahaba 
calmly,  proceeding  with  her  work. 

"But,  you  know  we  told  you,  you 
couldn't  do  it." 

"I  ain't  doing  it  for  you,"  said  the  girl 

158 


Busy  Days  159 

quietly  and  without  intended  imperti- 
nence, mixing  up  dough  for  beaten  bis- 
cuits with  great  energy.  Beaten  biscuit 
were  something  they  did  not  have  much 
these  trying  days  and  they  were  a  deli- 
cacy of  which  the  doctor  was  especially 
fond.  "I'm  a  doing  it  for  the  doctor  and 
Miss  Martha.  I  reckon  I  can  be  allowed 
to  work  for  them  while  they  are  here. 
If  I  should  get  down  on  my  knees  before 
'em  and  stay  there  for  the  rest  of  my  days 
I  couldn't  pay  'em  for  what  they've  done 
for  me."  And  there  was  reason  and  de- 
cision in  Cahaba's  speech  that  could  not 
be  easily  put  aside.  There  was  a  red 
plaid  handkerchief  tied  tightly  upon  her 
head  in  the  old-time  negro  way  to  empha- 
size her  intention  to  serve. 

"Well,"  said  Anne,  weakening,  "I  don't 
know  what  mother  will  say— 

"She  won't  say  nothing — if  you  go  on 


160  Anne's  Wedding 

and  tell  her  I'm  here  and  I  am  going  to 
stay!  With  so  much  company  in  the 
house,  and  Uncle  Sam  so  sick,  I  ought 
to  be  here — and  if  you  get  rid  of  me  it'll 
have  to  be  by  sending  me  to  the  cala- 
boose!" And  she  didn't  add  that  her  ap- 
petite was  not  going  to  be  good,  but  so 
she  had  determined. 

There  was  simply  no  withstanding  such 
firmness.  Anne  laughed  and  went  to  tell 
mother. 

Mrs.  Carter  laughed  too,  as  Anne  de- 
scribed Cahaba's  insurrection,  and  said, 
"We  will  let  her  stay.  She  does  feel  very 
grateful  to  Aunt  Martha  for  her  educa- 
tion, and  must  be  glad  of  this  opportun- 
ity to  show  it.  Besides,  they  will  only 
be  here  a  day  or  two.  They  feel  it  is  not 
the  time  to  visit  us  just  now,  and  will  soon 
be  returning  East." 

"Oh,  I  am  so  sorry,"  said  Anne.     "I 


Busy  Days  161 

love  to  have  them  here,  and  I  don't  mind 
the  extra  work.  Is  Gene  going  with 
them?"  she  ended. 

"No,"  replied  Mrs.  Carter  with  a  trou- 
bled look.  "Gene  says  she  is  going  to 
stay  right  here  and  wash  dishes  and  cook 
and  sweep  as  long  as  we  do." 

"She  ought  not  to  do  it,"  Anne  re- 
turned. "She  had  all  her  plans  made  to 
go  East  for  the  summer  for  a  good  rest 
and  outing  before  her  university  work 
next  year,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  she 
should  take  up  our  burdens." 

"I  know,"  said  the  mother,  "but  she 
will." 

This  trouble  was  proving  many-sided 
and  very  perplexing  to  this  mother  who 
strove  always  to  see  the  wise  way  for  those 
dependent  upon  her  guiding.  But  un- 
derneath it  all  was  secret  joy  that  Gene, 
in  spite  of  her  wealth,  was  thoroughly 


162  Anne's  Wedding 

identified  with  them,  ready  to  share  any- 
thing that  came,  and,  denied  the  privilege 
of  handing  out  money  to  meet  their  needs, 
could  yet  help  with  her  hands. 

Capable  Cahaba  in  the  kitchen  was  an 
immense  relief  to  Mrs.  Carter  and  Anne. 
She  came  early  in  the  morning,  prepared 
the  breakfast,  and  had  everything  in  read- 
iness for  dinner  that  was  possible  to  pre- 
pare beforehand.  Then  she  hurried 
away  to  her  school,  to  return  at  the  earli- 
est moment  after  school  was  over. 

"How  do  you  get  here  so  early  after- 
noons?" inquired  Anne,  for  she  knew  Ca- 
haba used  to  be  a  great  deal  later  in  get- 
ting home. 

Cahaba  laughed.  "I'm  teaching  with 
my  eyes  shut  for  a  while.  I  don't  see  a 
thing  that  goes  wrong,  and  whenever  I 
can,  I  imagines  they  make  the  right  an- 
swers. You  see,  there  has  always  been 


Busy  Days  163 

dead  oodles  of  little  nigs  to  be  kept  in 
every  day—  '  Cahaba  relaxed  as  usual  in 
grammar  and  little  niceties  of  speech  be- 
ing "at  home,"  which  was  a  great  mental 
relief  for  her.  "Now  I  don't  keep  nary 
one  in!  But,  won't  I  give  it  to  'em  after 
'while?  Jedgement  day's  coming  for 
them,  shore,  'fore  long!  I'm  jes'  white- 
washing 'em,  and  sprinkling  'em  with 
sugar  and  frying  'em  in'  butter  now — but 
lawsy — I'll  skin  'em  after  'while  1" 

The  "little  nigs,"  however,  wouldn't 
have  been  greatly  frightened  could  they 
have  seen  Cahaba's  dancing  eyes  and 
heard  Anne's  ringing  laughter. 

The  help  from  Cahaba  gave  time,  not 
only  for  more  enjoyment  of  the  doctor  and 
Aunt  Martha,  but  also  for  some  other 
things  which  must  be  done  at  once.  The 
Cape  jessamines  were  already  putting 
forth  leaves  and  very  tiny  buds  were  be- 


Anne's  Wedding 


ginning  to  show.  There  were  beautiful 
long  rows  of  bushes  in  the  Blossom  Shop 
yard,  for  it  had  been  kept  as  a  Cape  jessa- 
mine garden.  They  must  send  out  cir- 
culars to  Northern  and  Eastern  florists  to 
make  ready  for  the  marketing  of  this  crop. 
The  first  thing  to  be  decided  was,  "What 
should  be  their  firm  name?"  Anne 
wanted  to  be  at  the  head  of  the  business. 

"Why  wasn't  I  given  a  boy's  name,  like 
you,  Gene?"  she  complained.  "  'Eugene 
Grey  and  Co.'  always  sounded  fine." 

The  two  girls  were  talking  over  the 
question,  as  they  sat  on  the  front  porch 
steps  after  a  walk. 

Gene  laughed,  "Didn't  it,  though? 
And  mother  and  I  were  addressed  as 
'Sirs!'  And  I  never  will  forget  what 
scary  letters  we  got  sometimes,  when  we 
were  learning  and  they  pitched  into  us 
about  something  that  we  had  done  wrong, 


Busy  Days  165 

just  as  though  we  were  men!  And  they 
never  dreamed  that  a  little  blind  girl  was 
head  of  the  firm  and  mother  was  the  com- 
pany!" 

Her  childish  glee  over  this  had  not 
been  revived  for  many  a  day,  and,  renew- 
ing her  interest  in  the  old  business,  Gene 
forgot  for  the  time  her  keen  resentment 
over  present  denials,  and  put  her  thought 
upon  the  question  of  a  firm-name  for 
Anne's  business. 

It  must  be  "The  Blossom  Shop,"  of 
course,  it  was  finally  decided.  This  title 
must  head  the  circular,  and  then  the  firm- 
name  must  come  underneath.  Both 
girls  had  on  their  "studying-caps." 

"How  would  <A.  N.  Carter  &  Co.'  do?" 
asked  Gene,  uncertainly,  at  last. 

"Why — fine!"  cried  Anne.  "It  would 
be  Anne  Carter  all  right,  though  some- 
what abbreviated,  which  she  is — her  frills 


1G6  Anne's  Wedding 

are  about  all  gone,"  she  laughed,  and  then 
regretted  it  the  next  moment,  as  a  shadow 
settled  quickly  upon  Gene's  face  and 
would  not  lift  again.  Anne  herself  was 
not  dwelling  in  shadows  by  any  means; 
constant  letters  from  Donald,  strong,  fine, 
more  splendid  than  they  had  ever  been, 
kept  her  glowing.  The  doctor  might 
well  talk  about  their  letters  plowing  the 
ocean  now — "We  keep  it  in  a  constant 
state  of  foam,"  she  often  whispered  ex- 
uberantly to  herself. 

Trying  to  ignore  Gene's  shadow,  she 
laughed  again  and  said  gayly:  "I  wish  I 
could  put  in  about  the  pine  needles,  china- 
berries  and  chincapins — but  I  suppose  I 
can't  mix  up  things  like  that,"  and  then 
she  flew  in  to  her  mother  to  submit  the 
suggestion  for  a  firm-name  and  found 
hearty  approval. 

"But   you   must   add   underneath   the 


Busy  Days  167 

firm-name:  'Successors  to  Eugene  Grey& 
Co.,'  for  this  will  be  endorsement  for  you, 
as  the  old  firm  stood  well  with  the 
dealers,"  said  Mrs.  Carter  with  a  bit  of 
pride. 

So  it  was  settled,  after  approval  from 
Uncle  Doctor  and  Aunt  Martha.  The 
firm's  title  was  not  shown  to  Mr.  Carter, 
for  they  knew  that  would  hurt,  'and  the 
order  for  cards,  paper  and  envelopes  was 
made  ready  at  once  for  the  printer.  Thus 
the  old  flower  business  was  renewed  un- 
der the  new  firm  name,  and  orders  came 
in  promptly  from  former  customers  of 
"Eugene  Grey  &  Co.,"  after  the  sending 
out  of  cards.  Gene  insisted  on  remaining 
to  help  till  the  Cape  jessamine  season  was 
past  and  May  returned  from  her  teaching 
in  time  to  help,  as  well. 

Uncle  Doctor  and  Aunt  Martha  reluc- 
tantly left  the  family  for  a  return  to  their 


168  Anne's  Wedding 

sanatorium  work  in  the  North,  and  to  a 
more  pleasant  summer  climate  for  them. 

The  three  girls,  with  youth  and  health 
and  the  habit  of  joy  fixed  upon  them,  did 
not  fail  to  get  much  fun  along  with  their 
work  and  Anne  did  not  fail  to  weave 
much  romance  about  the  beautiful  blos- 
soms and  glossy  green  leaves  as  they 
picked  and  packed  them  each  day.  For 
May  it  was  "the  professor,"  whom  she 
always  saw  paying  court,  but  to  these  in- 
sinuations May  returned  emphatic  de- 
nial: "He  has  forgotten  that  I  exist  by 
this  time!  Because  you  have  a  wedding 
in  prospect  you  are  always  seing  romance 
when  there  isn't  any,  Anne!" 

For  Gene  it  was  Willard  Griffith  who 
linked  himself  with  the  rosy  future  as 
Anne  saw  it.  She  had  noticed  a  certain 
easy  flushing  when  Gene  happened  to 
mention  his  name  as  she  referred  to  some- 


Busy  Days  169 

thing  that  occurred  during  their  stay  at 
the  mountains,  but  Gene  would  protest: 
"Anne,  you  are  perfectly  ridiculous!"  So 
the  two  mockingly  dubbed  her  "Roman- 
tic Anne"  and  "Romance  Expert." 

"Well,"  Anne  protested  calmly  in  re- 
turn, "delayed  romance  within  me  must 
work  out  some  way,  I  suppose." 

And  the  mother  smiled  over  the  three 
in  their  youth  as  they  lingered  at  the 
wonderful  crossroads  of  life,  looking  be- 
yond with  assurance,  speculation  and 
many  finalities  that  would  need  future  un- 
doing. 

Then  came  a  pleasant  episode  one 
bright  June  morning  as  the  girls  sat  at 
work  in  the  Blossom  Shop, — which  was 
wearing  its  title  quite  literally  now, — 
when  Mrs.  Carter  brought  over  to  them 
most  unexpectedly  Professor  Addison 
Humphrey  Vernon  in  person.  There 


170  Anne's  Wedding 

was  a  natural  flutter  of  surprised  greeting 
from  the  girls  that  did  not  lack  in  cordial 
hospitality,  however,  and  the  professor's 
quiet  eyes  in  return  twinkled  with  pleas- 
ure at  the  unusual  scene. 

"We  are  deep  in  the  toils  of  business, 
you  see,"  May  managed  to  say,  with 
pretty  heightened  color,  feeling  that,  as 
the  one  most  acquainted,  she  must  be 
spokesman. 

"Well,"  exclaimed  the  professor,  "I 
must  say,  if  this  is  business,  it  is  in  the 
most  sublimated,  fragrant,  beautiful  and 
altogether  delightful  form  I  have  ever  en- 
countered it."  And  he  still  stood  while  in 
his  slow,  easy  way  he  took  in  each  detail 
before  him:  the  three  busy  attractive 
girls,  the  boxes  of  white  bloom  and  green 
leaf  filling  rapidly  under  their  deft  fin- 
gers from  the  mass  of  sprays  in  huge 
bowls  or  lying  loose  upon  the  tables  be- 


Busy  Days  171 

fore  them,  claiming  several  minutes  in- 
deed, for  this  before  he  seated  himself 
in  their  midst,  and  even  then  his  twinkling 
eyes  played  over  the  scene  constantly 
and  the  expressive  mouth  was  dominated 
by  unusual  satisfaction.  It  was  all  so  un- 
conscious on  his  part  that  no  one  was  em- 
barrassed and  Anne  laughed  in  answer  to 
him: 

"It  is  real  business,  nevertheless.  We 
own  right  up  that  we  are  greedy  for  the 
dollars  that  we  expect  in  return  for  these 
beauties." 

"Isn't  it  a  shame,"  exclaimed  the  pro- 
fessor again  vigorously,  "that  everything 
comfortable,  beautiful  or  intellectual  has 
to  be  mixed  up  more  or  less  with  money?" 
And  the  serious  corner  of  his  mouth 
threatened  to  dominate.  Then  he  fol- 
lowed the  thought  in  his  mind  in  a  way  he 
was  quite  apt  to  do,  letting  the  listener 


172  Anne's  Wedding 

wait  to  find  connecting  links.  "The 
small  college  is  at  once  the  hope  and  glory 
of  the  South  and  yet  it  is  throttled  con- 
tinually with  the  need  of  money.  Ours 
is  no  exception,  and  money-raising  in  the 
sordid,  ordinary  sense  isn't  at  all  to  my 
taste.  But  this  method  appeals  to  me!" 
And  his  mouth  was  curved  to  broad  pleas- 
ure lines  again. 

"Couldn't  I  enlist  this  firm  to  teach  me 
their  methods,  Mrs.  Carter,"  he  said; 
whereupon  the  girls  gayly  enlightened 
him  not  only  as  to  the  possibilities  of  Cape 
jessamines,  but  also  of  chincapins,  china- 
berries  and  pine  needles,  until  business, 
under  their  protrayal,  became  a  very 
gleeful  affair. 

At  last  the  professor  in  turn  enlight- 
ened them  further  along  his  line  of 
thought  by  saying,  "This  is  the  fertile  val- 
ley of  joy  and  consummation,  in  delight- 


Busy  Days  173 

ful  contrast  to  the  barren  mountain 
heights  I  have  just  been  investigating. 
Some  land  up  in  the  mountain  region  of 
your  state  was  left  to  our  college  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago;  and,  hearing  that  a  fur- 
nace and  mining  ore  business  was  in  full 
blast  there,  I  went  up  to  see  if  I  could  not 
sell  out  to  them,  as  there  is  undoubtedly 
coal  and  iron  ore  both  in  the  land." 

Gene  dropped  the  flower  spray  she  was 
wrapping  in  moist  cotton  and  gazed  with 
sudden  intuitive  intentness  into  his  face. 

"What  furnace,"  she  managed  to  ask  at 
last. 

"The  Griffith  plant,  it  is  called,"  he  re- 
turned, and  there  was  a  murmur  of  sur- 
prise all  round,  while  Mrs.  Carter  has- 
tened to  explain,  telling  how  they  came  to 
know  the  plant. 

"Fine  young  fellows,  those  Griffiths," 
the  professor  said,  then  added  with  a 


174  Anne's  Wedding 

whimsical  smile,  "but,  like  the  rest  of  us, 
throttled  by  the  need  of  money.  They 
want  the  land,  need  it  badly,  but  haven't 
the  money  to  pay  for  it." 

Gene  listened  with  strained  conscious- 
ness and  rebellious  heart.  Everybody 
needed  money  but  her.  She  had  it  and 
could  not  do  anything  she  wanted  to  with 
it! 

Professor  Vernon  remained  to  dinner 
with  them,  taking  the  evening  train  to  a 
nearby  town  where  there  were  some  pros- 
pective students  for  his  school. 

With  the  involuntary  morning  ex- 
change of  confidences  over  the  struggles 
of  life  Anne  had  gathered  the  professor 
into  her  warm  heart,  while  her  observant 
eyes  took  note  of  several  things,  among 
them  that  Professor  Vernon  gave  no  evi- 
dence of  having  forgotten  May's  exist- 
ence. 


Busy  Days  175 

The  three  girls  continued  their  daily 
work  until  with  every  Cape  jessamine 
gathered,  packed  and  shipped  from  their 
own  yard  and  from  the  Blossom  Shop 
of  the  starry  bloom,  there  was  a  goodly 
sum  added  to  the  family  account,  and 
Mrs.  Carter  finally  convinced  Gene  that 
it  was  due  to  her  uncle  and  aunt  to  go  to 
them  for  at  least  a  couple  of  months, 
which  she  reluctantly  did. 

"There  won't  be  any  more  business  till 
chincapins  and  china-berries  come  on  in 
the  fall,  then  I'll  telegraph  you  the  mo- 
ment they  are  ready  for  the  turning  into 
gold  and  from  gold  into — well,  we  won't 
say  now,  but  probably  into  good  bread 
and  butter,"  promised  Anne. 

So  Gene  went  away,  and  the  hottest 
summer  days  went  by  for  the  Carter 
household  without  need  for  effort  except 
the  daily  one  of  preparing  meals  and  at- 


176  Anne's  Wedding 

tending  to  the  necessary  housework  for 
Cahaba  had  been  again  dismissed.  This 
work  was  not  easy  for  the  two  girls  and 
their  mother  who  were  unaccustomed  to 
it,  but  they  did  it  cheerfully,  while  Anne 
did  not  relax  any  in  the  rapid  line  of  let- 
ters that  continued  to  cross  the  ocean. 
Uncle  Sam  still  lingered  in  feebleness 
and  Mammy  Sue  was  almost  completely 
occupied  with  him,  though  she  still  in- 
sisted on  doing  some  of  the  family  wash 
each  week.  The  girls  did  the  rest.  At 
first  they  marveled  despairingly  how  the 
colored  folks  ever  made  ruffles  and  tucks 
and  embroidery  look  so  fine  in  the  wash- 
ing and  ironing,  and  then  they  grew  in- 
terested in  the  process,  and  the  develop- 
ment of  their  own  skill. 

"Why,  we  are  getting  to  be  perfect 
artists,  Anne,"  May  exclaimed  gleefully 
at  last  over  the  ironing  board  one  hot 


Busy  Days  177 

July  day.  "I  had  no  idea  there  was  real 
art  in  the  thing,  before.  Hereafter, 
though,  I  will  have  due  respect  for  per- 
fect laundry  work,  and  I  certainly  won't 
muss  up  things  any  more  than  I  need  to," 
as  she  wiped  her  dripping  face. 

"I  am  learning  to  do  so  many  things," 
laughed  Anne,  as  she  also  dripped  and 
wiped,  "that  if  Donald  was  going  to  buy 
me,  as  men  have  to  buy  their  wives  in 
some  countries,  father  would  certainly  be 
able  to  raise  the  price/' 

"That  is  true,  Anne,"  returned  the 
mother,  looking  on.  "I  have  found  in  my 
experience  that  no  knowledge  of  various 
kinds  of  work  is  without  value.  You  are 
simply  getting  finer  and  finer  every  day 
for  Donald,"  she  ended  affectionately, 
which  in  her  heart  was  a  broader  state- 
ment than  appeared  in  words. 


CHAPTER  IX 

SUNSET  FOR  UNCLE  SAM 


SEPTEMBER  was  at  hand  and  it 
happened  that  Gene  did  not  have  to  await 
Anne's  promised  summons.  The  truth 
was  that  she  had  not  been  able  to  forget 
how  hard  they  were  working  in  the  sum- 
mer heat  at  home.  Somehow,  too,  the 
heat  of  that  mountain  furnace  mingled 
with  the  Southern  depressing  warmth  in 
her  thought,  and  the  ebbing  brilliance  of 
the  dying  "run"  with  Willard  Griffith's 
"So  ends  the  whole  thing,"  continued  to 
make  lamenting  refrain  for  her  inner  con- 
sciousness. So  the  cool,  bracing  breezes 

178 


Sunset  for  Uncle  Sam  179 

which  played  about  Aunt  Martha's 
stately,  beautiful  New  England  home, 
could  not  woo  her  into  oblivion,  and  her 
sweet  girlish  face  took  on  a  still-serious- 
ness that  was  like  the  sudden  droop  of  a 
budding  rose.  Uncle  Doctor  and  Aunt 
Martha  watched  her  with  constant  con- 
cern. They  consulted  together  many 
times,  and  finally,  the  last  of  August,  the 
doctor  made  an  unexpected  proposition 
to  the  girl. 

"Gene,  what  do  you  say  to  a  run  down 
South  for  a  visit  before  school  begins  for 
you  and  May?" 

"Oh,  Uncle  Doctor,  you  are  the  dearest 
thing  in  the  world,"  she  cried  for  answer, 
her  face  blooming  again  with  the  sud- 
den inner  radiance. 

That  was  indeed  what  the  girl  wanted. 
This  settled  the  matter  entirely  for  Aunt 
Martha  in  spite  of  the  fact  she  had  ar- 


180  Anne's  Wedding 

gued  among  other  things  that  the  heat 
was  yet  too  trying  for  Southern  travel, 
and  that  really  they  could  do  nothing  to 
help  matters  when  they  were  there. 
"That  is  true,"  the  doctor  had  returned 
to  this,  "but  we  want  to  keep  our  eyes 
upon  those  unreasonable  Southern  folks 
some  way — it  may  be  that  some  of  them 
will  come  to  their  senses  and  let  us  help 
them,  and  we  want  to  be  at  hand  if  they 
do." 

"Doctor,  how  you  talk!"  Aunt  Martha 
had  exclaimed,  but  she  laughed  as  well, 
and  was  quite  as  anxious  as  he  to  have  a 
hand  in  straightening  out  the  Carters' 
finances. 

A  few  days  later  found  them  steaming 
lazily  into  the  old  station  again  with  the 
sultry  September  hush  upon  the  little 
town,  but  the  girls  and  their  mother  with 
Murton  Grey  were  there  to  meet  them 


Sunset  for  Uncle  Sam  181 

and  there  was  joy  all  round  at  being  to- 
gether again. 

Next  day,  with  the  excitement  of  arri- 
val and  greetings  past,  there  was  keen 
stock-taking,  so  to  speak,  of  one  another. 
Mrs.  Carter  noticed  the  lingering  pale- 
ness of  Gene's  cheeks,  and  Gene  in  turn 
could  detect  with  worried  eyes  the  effects 
of  the  past  months  of  strain  upon  her 
mother;  but  she  strove  this  time  not  to  let 
it  appear,  for  had  not  Uncle  Doctor  and 
Aunt  Martha  brought  her  down  a  month 
ahead  of  the  time  they  expected,  or 
wanted  to  come,  simply  because  they 
knew  it  was  her  desire?  And  it  was  hap- 
pier to  be  with  those  she  loved  than  to 
be  away  from  them,  if  she  had  to  worry 
about  them  wherever  she  was,  came  as  a 
summing  up  of  her  philosophy  for  the 
time  being.  She  tried  once  more,  how- 
ever, to  induce  her  mother  to  let  her  help 


182  Anne's  Wedding 

in  a  money  way  until  Mr.  Carter  became 
established  in  some  new  business,  but  the 
mother  only  shook  her  head,  for  she  could 
not  tell  her  daughter  how  much  Mr.  Car- 
ter's disspirited  attitude  made  her  anxious 
lest  he  never  recover  himself  in  a  busi- 
ness way,  and  so  they  must  learn  to  man- 
age for  themselves  as  quickly  as  possible. 
It  was  true  that  he  had  not  yet  had  time 
to  complete  the  turning  of  his  property 
into  cash  that  he  might  settle  Colonel 
Thompson's  debt,  but  the  anxiety  of 
women  will  run  ahead  of  events  and  seize 
upon  calamity  aforetime. 

It  was  several  weeks  before  frost  would 
fall  and  the  shining  brown  chincapins 
were  ready  to  gather  and  ship,  and  still 
more  weeks  before  china-berries  attained 
the  proper  point  of  yellow-brown  per- 
fection suitable  for  beginning  their  trans- 
formation into  necklaces.  Cahaba  was 


Sunset  for  Uncle  Sam  183 

promptly  again  in  the  kitchen  upon  the 
arrival  of  the  guests  from  the  East,  and  it 
was  good  to  have  her  there,  especially 
since  it  was  very  evident  that  Uncle  Sam, 
who  had  unexpectedly  survived  the  sum- 
mer, had  only  a  little  time  now  to  linger. 
Mammy  Sue  must  give  her  whole  time 
to  him,  and  nourishment  for  him  and  food 
for  her  must  be  supplied  each  day.  The 
September  hush  grew  in  intensity  for 
them  all  as  they  went  in  and  out  the  cabin 
ministering  to  the  needs  of  the  old  cou- 
ple, watching  the  ebbing  life.  And  each 
time  the  old  man  must  murmur  his  bless- 
ing upon  them : 

"De  good  Lord  mek  his  sun  to  shine  on 
yo'  all  twell  it  grow  to  de  perfec'  day," 
and  the  perfect  day  was  already  lighting 
those  dim  old  eyes. 

The  doctor  said,  as  they  walked  away 
one  morning,  "If  ever  a  soul  was  white — 


184  Anne's  Wedding 

ready  for  the  shining  city,  I  think  it  must 
be  that  one  which  has  lived  its  earthly  life 
under  a  black  cover." 

"You  are  certainly  right,  doctor,"  re- 
turned Mrs.  Carter,  "if  a  life  of  absolute 
unselfishness  is  the  test." 

It  was  the  evening  of  that  day  when  the 
dactor  came  in  from  a  visit  to  the  old  man 
again  and  said  that  Uncle  Sam  wanted 
to  tell  good-by  to  everybody,  and  all 
went  sorrowfully  out  to  the  little  cabin 
about  which  the  great  mystery  was  gath- 
ering. 

The  white  rim  of  the  old  man's  hair  and 
whiskers  made  almost  a  halo  about  the 
sunken  black  face  as  he  lay  upon  his  bed, 
and  a  joyous  smile  lit  it  up  as  he  took 
the  hands  of  each  and  blessed  and  thanked 
them  for  all  they  had  been  to  him. 

"God  knows  you  is  made  ever'  breath 
I  ever  drawed  happy — an'  I'se  gwine  ter 


Sunset  for  Uncle  Sam  185 

meet  yer  up  yonder — up  yonder — yon- 
der," he  repeated  again  and  again,  his 
dim  eyes  shining  with  a  radiance  not  of 
earth — till  the  lids  dropped  slowly  at  last 
and  the  voice  ceased. 

The  girls  were  sobbing  gently,  for  they 
could  not  restrain  themselves,  and  Mrs. 
Carter  motioned  for  them  to  leave. 
Then  she  sat  down  beside  him  and  took 
his  thin  old  black  hand,  no  longer  rough, 
and  held  it  between  her  soft  palms  while 
Mammy  Sue  knelt  by  the  bed  on  the  op- 
posite side  and  held  the  other  hand  as  she 
rocked  and  softly  moaned. 

The  dim  eyes  opened  in  sudden  bright- 
ness again.  "Miss  Alice,"  he  said,  with 
new  strength,  "is  yer  got  any  ob  ole  Mar- 
ster's  clo'se?" 

"Yes,  UiKle  Sam,"  Mrs.  Carter  re- 
turned. 

"Won't  yer,  please,  ma'am,  bury  me  in 


186  Anne's  Wedding 

one  er  his  ole  suits?  It  'ud  make  me 
closer  ter  you—  "  the  voice  was  dropping 
again — "an'  perhaps  I'll  be  white — in 
Heaven,"  it  died  to  a  whisper —  she  had  to 
bend  low  over  him  to  catch  the  words — 
"white,  when  I  gits  dar — white — white 
"  and  the  last  must  have  been  heard  on 
the  other  side. 

Everything  would  be  done  as  it  should 
be,  as  a  matter-of-course,  in  the  way  of 
last  rites  for  Uncle  Sam,  but  the  doctor 
took  some  things  into  his  own  hands,  and 
met  all  expenses,  paying  surreptitiously 
all  bills  in  advance. 

He  talked  with  Cahaba.  "Now,  Ca- 
haba,"  he  said,  "you  know  just  how 
Mammy  Sue  would  like  this — how  Uncle 
Sam  would  have  liked  it  himself.  You 
plan  it  all  just  as  though  money  was  run- 
ning in  rivers." 


Sunset  for  Uncle  Sam  187 

Cahaba  laughed,  even  on  this  solemn 
occasion. 

"Well,  doctor,  you  know  there  ain't  a 
nigger,  living  or  dead,  that  don't  want  a 
big  funeral.  It  is  the  biggest  thing  that 
ever  comes  to  most  of  us,"  she  put  in  with 
a  pathos  in  the  statement  of  which  the  girl 
was  wholly  unconscious.  "I  think  it 
would  be  a  great  comfort  to  Mammy  Sue 
— and  Uncle  Sam  would  rise  in  his  coffin 
to  see  it,  if  he  could!" 

The  doctor  joined  with  Cahaba  in  her 
laugh,  and  since  they  had  it  all  to  them- 
selves, it  did  no  harm. 

"All  right,  Cahaba,"  said  he  heartily. 
"How  many  carnages  do  you  think  it  will 
take?" 

"Law-z-e-el"  she  exclaimed,  then 
added:  "Doctor,  if  it  gets  out  that 
there's  going  to  be  carriages  for  every- 
body, ever'  last  nigger  in  this  town  and 


188  Anne's  Wedding 

for  ten  miles  out  will  be  at  the  funeral, 
sick  or  well!" 

"That's  what  we  want,"  said  the  doctor, 
emphatically  again,  "we  want  everybody 
to  come,  and  there'll  be  carriages  for  ev- 
erybody, if  I  have  to  send  away  for  them !" 

But  he  did  not  have  to  send;  when  it 
was  known  that  faithful  old  Uncle  Sam 
was  gone,  and  that  there  was  going  to  be  a 
big  funeral,  everybody  far  and  near  of- 
fered their  carriages  for  the  occasion  and 
there  was  no  lack. 

The  services  were  held  in  the  rear  yard 
at  the  Carters',  for  no  house  would  have 
held  the  crowd,  and  the  neat  coffin  stood 
in  the  open  upon  a  stand  which  was  one 
mass  of  flowers. 

The  colored  minister  did  the  occasion 
full  justice,  while  the  singing  was  beauti- 
ful beyond  description;  the  melodious 
voices  of  the  colored  people,  softened  by 


Sunset  for  Uncle  Sam  189 

their  sense  of  the  nearness  of  death  and 
glorified  by  their  ready  vision  into  the 
beyond  through  which  this  soul  had  just 
passed,  rose  and  fell  in  a  wonderful  emo- 
tional cadence  upon  the  soft  Southern 
air,  as  the  great  company  stood  beneath 
the  spreading  live-oaks. 

Aunt  Martha  and  the  doctor  would 
never  forget  the  scene  or  the  music,  and 
neither  would  the  girls. 

It  was  over,  and  the  hushed  company 
fell  back  while  the  body  was  borne  to  the 
hearse  (adorned  with  tall,  waving  plumes 
at  each  upper  corner,  which  the  doctor 
had  unearthed  at  the  undertaker's),  and 
Mammy  Sue,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  and 
Gene  went  in  the  first  carriage,  the  doctor 
and  Aunt  Martha,  Anne  and  Cahaba  fol- 
lowing; then  carriage  after  carriage  was 
filled,  till  the  like  of  that  procession  had 
never  been  seen  in  the  little  town  before! 


190  Anne's  Wedding 

It  was  destined  to  be  told  about  for  gen- 
erations to  come,  and  it  placed  Mammy 
Sue  upon  a  prominence  from  which  she 
never  descended. 


CHAPTER  X 

JOYFUL  POSSIBILITIES 


CrENE  GREY,  being  of  sensitive  fi- 
ber, which  the  blindness  of  early  years 
had  intensified,  was  indeed  like  the  pro- 
totype her  mother  had  chosen  for  her, 
the  Marechal  Neil  rose;  she  thrived  best 
under  sunny  skies  and  in  balmy  climes. 
But  life  was  bringing  her  some  testing  to 
increase  the  strength  of  the  fiber.  Loving 
and  beloved,  things  had  gone,  hitherto, 
much  as  she  liked;  recently  she  had  been 
obliged  to  stand  against  cross-currents, 
and  her  delicate  blossoming  was  in  seri- 
ous danger  of  blight.  Denied  again  and 
again  the  privilege  of  helping  those  she 

191 


192  Anne's  Wedding 

loved  in  the  way  she  wished,  a  bit  of 
stubbornness  had  grown  in  those  sky-blue 
eyes  that  determined  her  to  renounce  at 
least  the  benefits  of  her  wealth,  and  as 
long  as  the  rest  of  the  family  continued  to 
drudge,  as  she  put  it  in  her  thought,  she 
would  drudge  too.  She  was  not  going  to 
school  any  more,  she  had  firmly  decided 
in  spite  of  protest;  which,  however,  was 
less  urgent  because  she  was  obviously  in 
no  condition  for  study. 

Warring  with  this  newly  developed 
stubbornness  was  her  natural  tenderness 
which  made  things  hurt  superlatively. 
She  could  not  see  Mr.  Carter  day  after 
day  troubled  and  disspirited  without  ac- 
tual suffering.  She  could  not  look  at 
Donald's  picture  on  Anne's  dresser  with- 
out seeing  pathetic  appeal  to  her  to  send 
Anne  to  him ;  she  could  not  watch  the  se- 
rious lines  gather  and  mark  her  mother's 


Joyful  Possibilities  193 

face  without  crying  out  in  her  heart  that 
she  could  not,  would  not  have  itl  Then, 
there  had  been  poignant  pain  for  her  in 
the  watching  of  Uncle  Sam  as  his  earthly 
lamp  faded  day  by  day.  There  were 
tears  in  every  memory  of  what  he  had 
been  to  her  through  all  the  past  years; 
how  he  had  carried  her  in  his  arms  from 
a  baby,  and  told  her  the  most  wonderful 
things  about  the  world  of  flowers  and  ani- 
mals which  she  could  not  see,  making 
them  more  vivid  to  her  eager  mind  than 
any  one  else ;  how  he  had  struggled  with 
them  and  protected  them  for  many  years 
— and  through  it  all  had  come  her  first 
rebellion  against  the  ways  of  life. 

Why  must  people  wither  and  pass 
away,  why  must  sorrow  and  disappoint- 
ment spoil  all  the  pleasures  of  the  world? 
was  the  unspoken  lament  of  days. 

But  with  the  old  man's  going,  she  had 


194  Anne's  Wedding 

seen  at  last  the  "light  which  never  was  on 
land  or  sea"  in  his  fading  eyes,  had  heard 
the  final  joy  and  triumph  of  soul  in  his 
voice  as  his  spirit  winged  for  flight,  and  a 
pervading  peace  had  dropped  upon  her 
troubled  heart  in  the  fervent,  exalted 
singing  of  that  great  concourse  of  colored 
folks — the  lowliest  of  the  earth  voicing 
its  highest  triumphs — with  a  resultant 
lifting  of  her  spirit  beyond  the  things  of 
seeming,  into  eternal  verities  which 
brought  clarified  vision,  and  made  her 
want  to  sit  alone  in  the  brief  twilight  of 
the  day  after  the  funeral.  May  had  re- 
turned to  her  school  that  morning,  want- 
ing to  do  some  work  in  the  library  before 
the  fall  term  opened.  Quiet  was  upon 
the  family  as  they  sat  together  in  the  even- 
ing of  that  day,  and  Gene  slipped  away 
to  her  room. 

A  window  looked  out  upon  the  flowers 


Joyful  Possibilities  195 

of  the  yard,  and  she  sat  beside  it,  leaning 
her  chin  upon  her  hand. 

How  sweet  and  dear  flowers  were,  be- 
gan her  quiet  musing — so  silent,  and  yet 
ministering  all  the  time  to  the  world. 
How  beautiful  they  had  made  Uncle 
Sam's  resting-place  when  it  was  banked, 
at  last,  with  lovely  blossoms.  She  wished 
they  might  grow  on  every  barren  and  sor- 
rowful spot  in  the  world! 

Then  her  thought  went  to  the  moun- 
tains where  her  thought  had  gone  fre- 
quently, but  it  was  not  the  dying  "run" 
that  she  saw.  Flowers  were  on  the 
rugged  slopes  to  brighten  barren  stretches, 
and  little  children  looked  out  from  dreary 
log  cabins — but  oh,  with  hungry,  search- 
ing eyes ! 

Those  were  beautiful  plans  which  Wil- 
lard  Griffith  had  made  for  them — if  he 
could  ever  carry  the  plans  out.  He 


196  Anne's  Wedding 

hoped  to  get  some  more  capital  for  his 
business,  she  again  remembered  now,  and 
some  one  to  take  the  financial  side  of  the 
venture.  She  wondered  if  he  had  been 
successful. 

Suddenly  a  thought  illumined  her  quiet 
mind — dear — true — it  seemed  at  once! 
Why  should  she  not  supply  the  capital, 
and  Mr.  Carter  become  the  financial  man 
at  a  princely  salary? 

The  brilliant  light  flashed  back  into  the 
"run"  of  the  furnace,  as  she  had  seen  it 
that  night,  and  hope  and  strength  lit  her 
face  till  every  possibility  of  beauty  there 
came  into  sudden  blooming. 

She  flew  down-stairs  to  the  library. 

"Uncle  Doctor,  Aunt  Martha,  will  you 
come  with  me  a  moment?"  and  looking 
up,  astonished,  at  her  transformed  face, 
they  immediately  consented  to  her  request. 

Oh,  how  her  heart  bounded  as  they  fol- 


Joyful  Possibilities  197 

lowed  her  to  her  room.  She  could  hardly 
breathe  for  several  minutes  when  they 
were  there,  and  none  of  them  thought  of 
seats  till  she  had  poured  out  her  tale. 

Aunt  Martha's  expression  when  she  was 
done  proclaimed  instant  approval,  but  the 
doctor  asked  many  questions  as  to  what 
Willard  had  told  her  about  the  business ; 
and  then,  putting  with  it  much  that 
George  had  told  them  of  the  promise  of 
the  plant,  he  said  at  last,  that  white  fore- 
lock flopping  as  it  had  not  for  many  a 
day,  as  he  struck  it  with  his  hand  and 
bobbed  his  head  in  increasing  satisfac- 
tion: 

"Little  Southern  Johnny-jump-up  that 
you  are,"  (an  old  favorite  name  for  her) 
"you  have  a  business  head  on  your  shoul- 
ders like  your  New  England  grandfa- 
ther!" And  Aunt  Martha  fairly  beamed 
with  pride,  while  she  said  that  she  would 


198  Anne's  Wedding 

invest  something  there  too,  if  it  proved  best. 

That  was  the  solution  for  them,  the 
three  felt  instantly.  To  work  it  out  suc- 
cessfully was  the  next  problem,  and  they 
seated  themselves  to  talk  it  over. 

"I  am  afraid  Mr.  Carter  will  find  ob- 
jection. He  will  not  accept  anything  just 
framed  up  to  relieve  his  financial  embar- 
rassment," said  the  doctor,  thoughtfully. 

"But  I  want  to  invest  in  it,"  declared 
Gene,  eagerly.  "I  was  so  interested  in 
that  furnace,  and  thinking  about  the  valu- 
able material  hidden  away  in  those  moun- 
tains that  ought  to  be  brought  out  and 
made  use  of  in  the  world." 

"Yes,"  said  the  doctor,  with  a  twinkle 
in  his  eye,  "you  had  a  very  interesting 
narrator  of  those  possibilities." 

Gene  blushed  gratifyingly,  from  the 
doctor's  point  of  view,  and  defended: 
"Now,  Uncle  Doctor,you  are  always  teas- 


Joyful  Possibilities  199 

ing.  You  know  you  were  interested,  too, 
in  hearing  the  Griffiths  tell  about  it,  and 
so  was  Aunt  Martha,"  to  which  both 
agreed. 

"The  thing  to  do,"  said  Aunt  Martha 
at  last,  "it  seems  to  me,  is  to  get  Willard 
Griffith  down  here,  and  have  him  talk 
about  it  all,  so  Mr.  Carter  can  hear  and 
get  interested  too;  then  the  proposition 
for  investment  there  on  the  part  of  some 
of  us  can  come  up  naturally." 

That  did  seem  a  good  plan,  and  the  doc- 
tor left  them  to  write  at  once  to  Willard 
telling  him  there  was  a  possibility  of  se- 
curing some  capital,  and  for  him  to  come 
down  as  promptly  as  possible,  wiring  a 
reply,  if  necessary,  to  notify  them. 

Accordingly,  two  days  later,  as  they  sat 
at  breakfast,  the  door  bell  rang  and  Ca- 
haba  brought  in  a  yellow  envelope  for  the 
doctor.  This  was  torn  open  with  an  in- 


200  Anne's  Wedding 

scrutable  face  by  its  recipient,  while  Gene 
kept  her  eyes  on  her  plate  and  the  family 
sat  in  the  silence  that  mysterious  yellow 
envelopes  always  engender. 

When  he  had  finished  there  were  broad 
reassuring  smiles  upon  his  face,  to  the  re- 
lief of  everybody  except  Gene,  who  never 
could  tell  what  Uncle  Doctor  might  do, 
and  who,  somehow,  felt  unaccountably 
guilty. 

"Well,"  said  the  doctor,  flirting  that 
forelock  terrifyingly  to  Gene's  self-con- 
sciousness, "it  seems  there  is  a  young 
mountain  man  who  wants  to  come  down 
this  way.  He  doesn't  say  exactly  for  what 
—but  perhaps  Gene  can  tell — he  seemed 
to  have  a  good  deal  to  say  to  her  when  we 
were  up  there." 

The  Marechal  Neil  girl  suddenly  be- 
came a  crimson  rambler  as  the  hot  color 
raced  over  Gene's  fair  face. 


Joyful  Possibilities  201 

"Now,  Uncle  Doctor — you're  mean — 
you  know  he  was  nothing  but  just  simply 
polite  to  me,"  she  burst  out,  as  soon  as  she 
could  get  her  voice,  and  everybody 
laughed,  for  Gene  had  been  the  most 
quiet  of  the  three  girls  and  there  had  been 
little  opportunity  for  teasing. 

"Well,"  went  on  the  doctor,  compla- 
cently, while  Aunt  Martha  tried  to  stop 
him  with  wifely  nudges  under  the  table, 
"he  wants  to  come,  and — I  guess  he  will 
wear  shoes — coming  down  here  among 
civilized  folks." 

"Wear  shoes!"  cried  Anne. 

"Yes,  I  think  so — but  I  could  telegraph 
him  to — if  you  think  best — you  know 
mountain  folks  don't  wear  them  as  a 
rule,  they  go  barefoot,"  with  great  serious- 
ness. 

And  they  grew  very  hilarious  over 
Gene's  prospective  barefoot  beau,  but  it 


202  Anne's  Wedding 

was  a  grateful  diversion  for  her  flaming 
face. 

"Who  is  it  that  wants  to  come,  really?" 
urged  Anne.  "Aunt  Martha,  make  him 
tell,"  she  appealed. 

"Now,  doctor,  you  shall  not  talk  any 
more — it  is  my  turn,"  said  Aunt  Martha, 
who  had  taken  the  message  from  him  and 
read  it.  "It  is  young  Mr.  Willard  Grif- 
fith, whom  we  met  at  the  furnace;  he  and 
his  brother  are  joint  owners  of  it,  you 
know.  He  says  he  is  coming  this  way  on 
business  and  would  be  glad  to  call  upon 
us,  if  he  may,  to-morrow." 

"Oh,  that  will  be  so  nice,"  said  Anne. 
"I  have  wanted  to  see  him  ever  since  you- 
all  told  about  him,"  and  she  glanced  slyly 
at  Gene,  but  said  nothing  more  direct,  for 
she  was  too  kindly  wise  for  that. 

Aunt  Martha,  later  in  the  privacy  of 
their  room,  reproached  the  doctor  decid- 


Joyful  Possibilities  203 

edly  for  his  handling  of  the  telegram, — 
the  first  act  in  their  conspiracy  plot. 

"Now,"  he  returned  defensively,  "there 
was  no  way  in  the  world  to  hide  the  real 
purpose  of  his  coming  except  to  show  it 
as  a  result  of  interest  in  Gene — and  he 
won't  dispute  or  object  to  that,  I'll  guar- 
antee," was  the  chuckling  conclusion. 

"No,"  she  admitted  with  chiding  reluc- 
tance, "but  it  was  very  hard  on  Gene. 
You  should  not  have  teased  her  so." 

"Why,  girls  can't  be  properly  brought 
up  without  teasing;  it  is  the  most  valuable 
antidote  to  self-consciousness  we  have," 
he  defended  again,  with  twinkling  eyes. 
"Gene  needs  more  of  it  than  she  has  ever 
gotten.  That  child  is  as  sensitive  as  a 
flower;  sure  enough — girls  unfold  as  they 
should  under  the  proper  amount  of  teas- 
ing— and  she's  too  rare  and  fine  not  to 
be  allowed  to  get  her  full  development." 


204  Anne's  Wedding 

This  was  all  true,  Aunt  Martha  knew, 
but  whether  she  was  reconciled  or  not  to 
the  doctor's  methods  mattered  little,  for 
the  joke  was  well  under  way  in  the  house- 
hold about  Gene's  barefoot  beau,  Murton 
Grey  thinking  it  the  finest  one  he  had  ever 
heard,  and  at  last  was  keenly  disappointed 
when  he  promptly  looked  at  Willard's 
feet  on  the  day  of  his  actual  arrival,  and 
saw  them  neatly  clad  in  up-to-date  shoes! 

And  not  only  were  the  shoes  of  the 
young  man  from  the  mountains  all  that 
they  should  be,  but  he  expressed  neatness 
and  good  taste  in  all  his  dress,  and  his 
manner  pleased  the  entire  household. 
He  came  on  the  evening  train,  went  at 
once  to  the  hotel  and  then  made  his  call 
afterward. 

It  was  a  family  party  that  greeted  him, 
and  he  was  at  once  the  courteous  gentle- 
man, at  ease,  but  not  blatantly  so. 


Joyful  Possibilities  205 

The  doctor  began  asking  questions 
about  phases  of  the  mountains  in  which 
they  had  become  much  interested  during 
their  visit,  Aunt  Martha  and  Gene  (al- 
ways with  that  rosy  flushing)  taking  part 
as  things  occurred  to  them.  Then  the 
questions  led  to  the  furnace  and  mining  in- 
terests, and  it  was  observed  by  the  three 
conspirators  that  Mr.  Carter  became  at 
once  alert,  gradually  taking  the  place  of 
chief  questioner. 

The  development  accomplished,  and 
under  way  in  the  iron  industry,  together 
with  a  sketch  of  future  possibility  were 
graphically  put  before  him,  and  he  ex- 
claimed at  last,  "I  have  long  felt  that  here 
lies  the  greatest  opportunity  of  our  State 
—in  its  hidden  coal  and  iron." 

Then,  with  the  remembrance  that  he 
could  never  have  part  in  any  such  devel- 
opment, which  had  been  a  recently  awak- 


206  Anne's  Wedding 

ened  hope  with  Mr.  Carter  when  the 
financial  disaster  came,  the  light  went  out 
of  his  eyes  and  he  soon  left  the  room.  All 
the  elders  quickly  followed,  leaving  the 
young  people  together  while  Anne  made 
the  young  man's  better  acquaintance,  and 
finally  she,  too,  left  for  Gene  and  Willard 
to  have  a  talk  together. 

A  little  later  when  he  had  gone  and 
Gene  joined  Anne  up-stairs,  the  latter  was 
enthusiastic. 

"Oh,  Gene,  I  think  he  is  fine,"  she 
cried.  "How  interestedly  he  talked  to  the 
older  folks — father  just  listened  spell- 
bound— did  you  notice?"  But  not  wait- 
ing for  answer,  she  went  on  with  charac- 
teristic warmth,  "I  hate  boys  or  young 
men  that  can't  be  anything  but  beaux — I 
like  them  to  be  real  men,"  "like  Donald," 
she  added  with  her  heart  and  her  eyes, 
though  her  lips  refrained;  but  Gene, 


Joyful  Possibilities  207 

quickly  reading  the  silent  speakers,  sup- 
plied: 

"No  wonder  you  do,  for  Donald  is  al- 
ways courteous  and  lovely  to  everybody." 

"And  Willard  Griffith  is  the  same," 
added  Anne,  generously,  "I  can  see  that." 

"I  am  so  glad  you  like  him,"  said  Gene, 
"but,  you  know,  he  isn't  any  beau  of  mine, 
really." 

"No,"  returned  Anne  very  demurely. 


CHAPTER  XI 
UNCERTAIN  CONSPIRACY 


N 


EXT  day,  when  Willard  called, 
Anne  and  Gene  took  him  out  to  see  the 
Blossom  Shop.  His  quick,  trained  eye  at 
once  took  in  the  artistic  lines  of  the  little 
building,  and  when  he  stepped  inside 
kindled  with  appreciation  for  the  attrac- 
tive interior. 

"How  beautiful  and  complete  it  is!  A 
sort  of  beauty  shrine  it  must  have  been  for 
you  as  you  grew  up,"  he  said,  as  he  stood 
with  head  thrown  back  looking  at  its 
arched  ceiling  and  broad  carved  chimney. 

This  expressed  what  had  been  an  uncon- 
scious fact  for  them,  and  Anne  and  Gene 

208 


Uncertain  Conspiracy  209 

looked  at  one  another  with  pleased  recog- 
nition. 

Anne  spoke:  "I  think  that  must  have 
been  so,  though  we  didn't  know  it. 
Mother  has  always  called  us  a  Blossom 
Shop  family,  and  made  us  feel  we  must 
try  to  live  up  to  it,"  she  laughed;  "and  I 
guess  this  little  house  has  had  its  effect." 

"Mother  thinks  beauty  has  a  special 
mission  in  the  world,"  said  Gene,  "and  she 
has  certainly  tried  to  make  us  conscious  of 
it  and  its  possibilities  in  everything." 

"It  is  in  everything  that  is  true,  if  we 
look  for  it,  I  suppose,"  returned  Willard; 
"even  in  dusty,  powerful,  iron-smelting 
furnaces  there  is  the  element  of  beauty 
when  everything  moves  with  order  and 
dignity — if  you  can  use  such  a  word  in 
such  a  connection.  Didn't  you  find  the 
furnace  'run'  beautiful  that  night  when 
you  saw  it,  Miss  Grey?"  he  asked. 


210  Anne's  Wedding 

His  heart  was  yearning  over  that  fur- 
nace just  now,  like  a  mother  over  a  sick 
child,  and  he  wanted  to  bring  the  big, 
clumsy  thing  into  this  warmth  and  light 
and  beauty! 

"Beautiful!  I  should  think  so!"  ex- 
claimed Gene,  warming  responsively. 
"It  was  a  beautiful  and  fascinating  sight 
—and  terrible,  all  in  one.  I  never  have 
forgotten  it,  and  I  do  want  to  see  it  again. 
I  think  it  is  so  wonderful,  too,  how  that 
black  dust  is  brought  out  of  the  ground 
and  molded  into  iron  to  make  all  sorts 
of  things  that  we  use  every  day." 

"We  don't  dream  of  where  the  iron 
comes  from,  or  all  it  goes  through,  when 
we  use  the  poker  to  punch  the  fire,  do 
we?"  laughed  Anne.  "Sit  down  and  tell 
me  something  about  it,  Mr.  Griffith, 
please,"  she  went  on.  "I  haven't  seen  it 
all,  as  Gene  has." 


Uncertain  Conspiracy  211 

So  they  seated  themselves  comfortably 
in  the  pleasant  room  and  Willard  began. 

"You  are  so  good,"  he  laughed,  "to  let 
me  talk  'shop,'  for  you  know  'I  am  just 
dying  to  do  it,'  as  you  girls  would  say!" 
Then  they  listened  while  he  told  them 
many  interesting  natural  facts  of  the  min- 
ing work,  and  when  he  came  to  the  fur- 
nace, which  was  his  special  part  of  the 
plant,  he  made  it  a  real,  pulsing,  living 
thing.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  his  heart 
was  there,  and  knowing,  as  Gene  did, 
how  the  venture  was  hanging  in  the  bal- 
ance, though  nothing  was  said  about  it, 
she  cried  in  her  heart,  "Oh,  it  must  come 
out  all  right  for  Mr.  Carter — and  every- 
body 1" 

"It's  so  worth  while  to  be  doing  things, 
isn't  it?"  exclaimed  Anne,  always  the  en- 
thusiast. "I  never  realized  it  until  I 
went  into  business  lately." 


212  rAnne's  Wedding 

Willard  looked  at  her,  smiling  inquir- 
ingly, for  business  and  Anne  in  her  dainty 
white  dress  did  not  seem  quite  compatible, 
and  she  laughed  back  merrily :  "Yes — in 
the  pine  needle,  china-berry,  chincapin 
and  flower  business!" 

Then  they  told  him  gayly  of  her  com- 
mercial plans — and  finally  of  the  wedding 
which  was  to  blossom  out  of  it  all  in 
the  end,  and  he  entered  into  the  story 
with  the  hungry  warmth  of  a  young 
fellow  who  had  spent  the  past  year  away 
from  mother  and  sisters  and  home  inter- 
ests. 

Anne's    impulsive    answering  warmth 
led  her  to  say,  at  last,  "And  the  wedding 
is  going  to  be  right  here  in  this  room— 
and  you  must  be  one  of  the  groomsmen— 
I  know  Donald  would  say  so,  if  he  were 
here!"  in  a  combination  of  child-like  in- 
genuousness with  womanly  intuition  that 


Uncertain  Conspiracy  213 

this  was  what  she  was  going  to  want  ulti- 
mately, and  why  not  speak  now? 

There  was  no  doubt  of  Willard's  appre- 
ciation as  he  replied:  "I  was  never  so 
honored  in  my  life,  Miss  Carter,  and  I 
will  be  here — if  the  furnace  runs,  on 
which  I  shall  be  depending  for  my  wed- 
ding raiment,  do  not  die  out  in  the  mean- 


time." 


"Oh,  they  won't,"  assured  Anne  gayly; 
"they  are  going  to  burn  brighter  and 
brighter  all  the  time." 

And  Gene  cried  in  her  heart  again, 
"They  must,  oh,  they  must!"  though  she 
said  nothing. 

The  girls  went  next  with  their  guest  to 
the  college,  the  pride  of  the  little  town,  to 
show  him  their  beloved  Alma  Mater  with 
its  beautiful  grounds  and  substantial 
buildings,  and  he  was  again  very  appre- 
ciative. 


214  'Anne's  Wedding 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Anne,  "it  all 
burned  down  when  we  were  little  girls — 
that  is,  not  very  big.  And  oh,  it  was 
dreadful !  It  just  seemed  that  there  could 
never  be  another  school  so  dear  and  beau- 
tiful in  all  the  world  to  take  its  place! 
Really,  we  children  felt  just  as  though  our 
dearest  friend  was  dead,  and  could  never 
be  resurrected." 

Gene  laughingly  agreed  with  her,  re- 
membering that  time  of  childish  desola- 
tion. 

"But,  see  what  came  up  in  its  place! 
A  much  more  beautiful  group  of  build- 
ings, and  the  old  grounds  did  not  compare 
with  these!  You  see,  I  am  trying  to  get 
wise  enough  to  know  that  things  often 
go,  or  do  not  come  to  pass,  that  better 
things  may  come  in  their  place."  Anne 
laughed. 

"That's  a  mighty  fine  lesson,  Miss  Car- 


Uncertain  Conspiracy  215 

ter,  I'll  try  to  take  it  from  you,"  Willard 
returned  earnestly. 

"But  there's  one  thing  I  don't  think 
we  could  ever  replace  with  a  better,"  said 
Gene,  "and  that  is  old  Uncle  Abe,  our  col- 
ored school  janitor.  He  has  been  with 
the  school  over  twenty  years — we  call  him 
the  vice-president,  and  he  always  says, 
'me  an'  de  president  did  so  an'  so,' — the 
school  couldn't  run  without  him.  We 
thought  he  was  sick  one  year  and  perhaps 
was  going  to  die,  so  we  sent  him  down  to 
New  Orleans  to  Mardi  Gras,  and  he  rode 
back  and  forth  across  the  river  on  the  ferry 
boat  all  day  long — eating  up  a  big  bunch 
of  bananas  he  had  bought  to  bring  his 
wife!  He  said  he  had  always  wanted  to 
see  'dat  Mississippi  ribber,'  and  that 
was  all  he  talked  about  when  he  came 

back." 

"But  it  cured  him,"   laughed  Anne, 


216  Anne's  Wedding 

"and  all  the  girls  hope  he  will  live  for- 
ever!" 

"May  his  shade  never  grow  less,"  re- 
sponded Willard  with  fervency. 

When  the  three  had  returned  home  at 
last  from  their  sight-seeing  and  Anne  and 
Gene  were  alone  in  their  room,  Anne  gave 
another  most  emphatic,  "Oh,  Gene,  I 
think  he  is  fine!" 

While  the  young  people  had  been  thus 
occupied,  Dr.  Murton  was  having  a  long 
talk  with  Mr.  Carter  in  his  office  at  the 
center  of  the  little  town,  telling  him 
frankly  that  his  wife  and  Gene  were 
greatly  interested  in  the  mining  and  iron- 
making  possibilities  of  the  State.  They 
had  wanted  to  invest  up  there,  but  he  had 
not  felt  competent  to  advise  them  upon  it, 
and  had  really  asked  young  Griffith  to 
come  down  and  talk  about  it  with  possible 
reference  to  investment. 


Uncertain  Conspiracy  217 

"That  child  Gene,"  the  doctor  laughed, 
"is  her  New  England  grandfather  all  over 
again  in  her  love  for  constructive  business. 
I  saw  it  plainly  at  the  furnace,  and  I  don't 
believe  she  will  ever  care  much  about 
spending  money  for  the  sake  of  spending 
— she  really  wants  the  fun  of  making 


some!v 


Mr.  Carter  smiled  a  bit  in  return,  and 
then  the  doctor  went  on, — "Now,  I  want 
you  to  tell  me  what  you  think  of  the  op- 
portunities in  the  Alabama  mountains 
from  hearing  Griffith  talk." 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Carter  slowly,  "I 
have  been  interested  for  some  time  in  the 
possibilities  of  our  State  in  the  coal  and 
iron  regions.  If  I  had  the  money  I 
should  be  disposed  to  invest  there.  But  I 
haven't,"  and  his  lips  closed  firmly.  "As 
to  your  wife  or  Gene's  investing  there — 
that  is  quite  another  matter.  They  have 


218  Anne's  Wedding 

no  need  to  do  so — and  should  not  unless 
every  investigation  shows  that  it  is  per- 
fectly safe." 

"That's  just  what  must  be  done,"  re- 
turned the  doctor  eagerly,  "for  you  know 
when  women  get  started  on  anything,  you 
must  have  good  proof  against  it  to  turn 
them  from  it.  Both  my  wife  and  Gene 
have  their  hearts  quite  set  upon  it,  and 
what  we  all  want  is  for  you  to  undertake 
the  investigation." 

Seeing  that  Mr.  Carter  hesitated,  the 
doctor  continued:  "This  is  not  so  sud- 
den as  it  seems.  We  have  talked  much 
over  it,  and  that  is  why  we  are  linger- 
ing here  now.  We  are  very  much  in 
earnest.  Can't  you  return  with  Grif- 
fith and  take  up  the  whole  situation  in 
detail?" 

"Well,  I  suppose  I  can  do  so — but  I 
shall  not  be  content  to  recommend  any- 


Uncertain  Conspiracy  219 

thing  until  I  have  investigated  very  thor- 
oughly." 

"Exactly  what  we  want,"  returned  the 
doctor.  "Griffith  says  an  expert  from  the 
East  was  at  the  plant  not  long  ago  with 
reference  to  this  very  thing — the  enlisting 
of  more  capital — and  you  can  go  East  to 
see  him." 

"If  I  do,  I  shall  investigate  the  whole 
subject  of  furnace  working  while  there, 
and  know  the  ground,  on  the  financial 
side,  as  well  as  possible." 

"Exactly,"  exclaimed  the  doctor,  again, 
his  forelock  bobbing  in  delight.  "Now, 
another  thing,"  he  went  on,  under  this 
encouragement,  "the  Griffiths'  told  me 
when  we  were  there  that  they  needed  a 
third  interested  man  in  the  firm  to  look 
after  the  financial  side;  George  at  the 
head  of  the  mining,  and  Willard  at  the 
furnace,  have  all  they  can  do,  each  in  his 


220  Anne's  Wedding 

own  department,  and  we  feel  that  you  are 
just  the  man  for  the  place." 

Mr.  Carter's  eyes  lit  up  for  an  instant 

and  then  cooled:  "First  we  must  see  if 

it  is  safe  and  promising  as  an  investment 

—and  then  I  think  I  understand  the  offer 

you  are  making." 

This  quite  took  the  doctor  unaware,  and 
he  floundered  a  bit.  "No,  no, — I  think 
the  investment  will  be  entirely  dependent 
upon  your  taking  part  in  the  management 
—as  an  assurance  of  integrity  and  safety," 
not  helping  matters  much. 

"I  don't  feel  that  I  would  be  in  the  po- 
sition I  would  like  there  if  I  had  no  per- 
sonal investment  in  the  plant,"  returned 
Mr.  Carter,  with  a  quiet  finality  that  the 
doctor  could  not  meet 

He  went  back  to  his  fellow  conspirators 
and  his  forelock  was  not  bobbing. 

"What   is   the   matter?"    asked   Aunt 


Uncertain  Conspiracy  221 

Martha  instantly,  while  Gene  looked  anx- 
iously in  his  face. 

"Oh,  these  independent  Southern  folksl" 
he  exclaimed  with  fine  disgust.  "Mr. 
Carter  scents  the  whole  thing  as  a  frame- 
up  for  his  benefit,  and  I  don't  believe  he 
will  take  a  position  there." 

"Oh,  oh!"  cried  Gene  in  dismay,  and 
Aunt  Martha  looked  her  disappointment. 
"Then  I  can't  invest  in  it,  can  I?"  cried 
Gene  again,  and  the  light  was  suddenly 
gone  from  the  world,  though  she  could 
not  have  told  altogether  why. 

"That  is  not  a  necessary  conclusion," 
returned  the  doctor.  "Mr.  Carter  is  go- 
ing back  with  Willard  and  will  make  a 
thorough  investigation  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter. If  he  finds  it  safe  and  promising  he 
will  recommend  investment  probably  for 
you,  if  you  desire." 

This  helped  things  strangely  for  Gene, 


222  Anne's  Wedding 

but  did  not  lift  the  cloud  as  far  as  anxiety 
for  Mr.  Carter  was  concerned. 

"I  shall  not  be  in  favor  of  any  invest- 
ment there  if  Mr.  Carter  will  not  take 
charge  of  the  financial  side  of  the  busi- 
ness," said  Aunt  Martha,  decidedly.  "He 
has  shown  wonderful  business  ability  in 
accumulating  the  property  he  did  in  this 
little  town,  where  there  is  so  small  an  op- 
portunity, and  if  he  had  the  chance  in  a 
larger  field  he  would  show  what  he  can 
do,  I  am  sure.  Without  him  at  the  head 
I  am  most  decidedly  opposed  to  the  in- 
vestment." 

"Oh,  dear,"  thought  Gene,  "why  won't 
things  go  smoothly  that  are  the  best  for 
— so  many  people?" 

It  was  all  very  discouraging,  and  the 
conspirators  three  lost  their  high  spirits 
while  there  was  danger  also  of  loss  of  com- 
plete harmony  in  the  ranks,  for  Gene  was 


Uncertain  Conspiracy 

summoning  a  bit  of  that  New  England 
grandfather's  determination  in  a  secret  de- 
cision to  invest  some  money  in  that  furnace 
plant,  if  Mr.  Carter  found  it  a  safe  and 
promising  possibility,  while  Aunt  Martha 
was  secretly  deciding  that  Gene  must  not 
be  allowed  to  do  so — unless  Mr.  Carter 
took  charge. 

So  it  happened  that  the  start  of  the  two 
travelers,  Willard  Griffith  and  Mr.  Car- 
ter, the  next  day  for  the  mountains,  was 
quiet  and  subdued,  nobody  in  the  family 
seeming  to  feel  enthusiasm,  and  Willard 
himself  sensing  indefinable  discourage- 
ment. 

Gene  stood  with  the  rest  to  say  good-by 
to  him  and  there  was  something  wistful  in 
the  quick  glance  which  they  exchanged, 
— in  youth's  appeal,  each  to  each,  from  the 
stress  of  life's  first  battles. 

A   little   later   Gene's   mother,   who, 


224  Anne's  Wedding 

though  not  enthusiastic,  was  yet  hopeful 
of  the  successful  outcome  of  this  new  pos- 
sibility, put  an  arm  about  her  and  said: 
"Thank  God  for  my  little  blind  girl 
who  can  see,  not  only  with  her  dear  sky- 
blue  eyes,  now,  but  who  can  see  with  her 
heart  and  her  clear,  active  mind!" 


CHAPTER  XII 

A  STARTLING  TURN  OF  AFFAIRS       . 

J.  HE  day  after  Mr.  Carter's  leaving, 
Anne,  in  passing  through  the  upper  hall, 
saw  her  mother  turning  into  the  doorway 
of  her  room  and  suddenly  putting  a  hand 
out  to  steady  herself.  Anne  was  instantly 
at  her  side. 

"Mother,  what  is  it?"  the  girl  cried  in 
quick  alarm. 

"Why,  nothing,"  returned  Mrs.  Carter 
promptly,  but  a  bit  limply. 

"Now,  mother,  I  know  something  is 
the  matter,"  persisted  Anne,  anxiously. 

"I  simply  have  a  headache  this  morn- 

225 


226  Anne's  Wedding 

ing,  and  was  a  little  dizzy,  but  it  amounts 
to  nothing." 

"Well,  it  amounts  to  just  enough  for  me 
to  put  you  to  bed!"  returned  Anne  in  sud- 
den girlish  authority,  and  she  led  her 
mother  into  the  bedroom  with  quite  deter- 
mined young  arms. 

"Anne,  I  will  be  all  right  in  a  few 
minutes,"  said  the  mother,  still  protest- 
ing. 

"Yes,  I  know,  when  I  get  you  in 
bed,"  Anne  agreed,  laughing,  but  still 
firm. 

And  so  it  was  that  Mrs.  Carter  found 
herself  in  charge  of  her  young  daughter 
for  the  first  time  in  their  mutual  history, 
and  dropping  back  luxuriously  on  the  pil- 
lows of  her  bed  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

"Now,"  went  on  the  young  voice  au- 
thoritatively, standing  beside  her  charge, 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs     227 

"you  are  not  to  get  up  to-day.  You  are 
to  lie  still  and  do  nothing  but  rest. 
You've  had  too  much  to  think  about 
lately.  I  forbid  you  to  think  at  all  this 
whole  day!" 

The  mother  smiled  back  wanly  at  the 
girl's  mock  severity,  but  it  was  blessed  to 
lie  still  with  the  prospect  of  not  having  to 
think  for  one  day.  There  had  indeed 
been  a  great  strain  upon  her  during  the 
previous  weeks ;  a  strain  which  only  wives 
know  when  disaster  overtakes  the  husband 
and  she  must  be  strong  and  steady  and 
far-seeing  for  both  for  a  space.  Then 
Uncle  Sam's  illness  and  death  had  taxed 
her  heart  not  only  in  the  experience  itself, 
but  with  its  stirring  of  old  memories  of 
struggle  and  sorrow.  She  simply  needed 
rest,  as  Anne  with  quick  realization  had 
seen,  and  which  was  verified  by  Dr.  Mur- 
ton  when  he  had  been  called  in  by  the 


228  Anne's  Wedding 

girl  for  consultation,  as  she  laughingly 
said. 

Always  glad  to  uphold  Anne,  he  said 
her  diagnosis  had  been  perfect,  adding: 
"And  now  we  are  going  to  run  this  ranch 
ourselves,  Anne  and  I,  until  we  see  fit  to 
re-install  you!" 

Mrs.  Carter  relaxed  luxuriously  at  last, 
and  the  doctor  bobbed  his  forelock  in 
great  satisfaction,  for  it  was  just  what  he 
wanted — to  get  his  hands  upon  the  man- 
agement of  that  household  in  some 
fashion,  and,  incidentally,  his  hand  in  the 
purse  to  meet  daily  needs. 

When  he  and  Anne  went  out  in  the  hall 
together  he  remarked  innocently:  "Your 
mother  usually  goes  to  market  in  the 
morning,  doesn't  she?  You  will  need  to 
look  after  her  and  I  will  attend  to  that 
for  you.  I  must  go  up  town  to  mail  a 
letter,  anyway." 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs      229 

But  Anne  was  wary;  she  had  heard 
him  offer  to  market  for  her  mother  too 
often,  always  to  be  refused,  so  she  re- 
plied, 

"Thank  you  so  much,  but  I  know  Gene 
will  want  to  care  for  mother;  I  am  going 
now  to  get  her  and  tell  her  mother  is  not 
well.  She  has  been  out  gathering  some 
peaches  which  she  insisted  on  doing  after 
breakfast.  Then  I  will  go  up  town,  for  I 
know  just  what  mother  wants  done,  and 
we  wouldn't  bother  you  with  it  for  any- 
thing." 

Defeated,  the  doctor  said  no  more,  hop- 
ing for  better  opportunities — which  in- 
deed were  on  the  way  most  unexpectedly 
for  all. 

Anne  caught  the  flutter  of  a  pink  dress 
from  the  crotch  of  a  late-bearing  peach 
tree,  and  then  of  a  face  glowing  with  the 
exercise  and  warm  September  sun,  as 


230  Anne's  Wedding 

Gene  laughed  down  at  her  .coming  along 
the  garden  walk. 

"Your  face  is  just  as  pink  as  your  dress," 
Anne  laughed  back  at  her,  "and  it's  very 
becoming,  but  I  have  a  job  for  you  in- 
doors. Now  don't  be  scared — but  mother 
has  a  headache.  I  made  her  go  to  bed, 
and  I  want  you  to  see  that  she  stays  there 
while  I  go  to  market." 

Gen.e  dropped  from  the  tree  in  quick 
alarm.  The  old  clinging  of  little  groping 
hands  had  been  changed  for  her  to  a  cling- 
ing of  heart  with  tendrils  that  thrilled 
sensitively  at  the  least  untoward  symptom 
from  her  mother. 

"Anne,  mother  is  very  ill,  I  know,  and 
you  don't  want  to  tell  me!"  The  pink 
face  went  white. 

"Indeed  she  is  not,"  declared  Anne  con- 
vincingly. "She  is  just  tired  out.  Uncle 
Doctor  says  so,  and  now  that  father  is  gone, 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs      231 

she  is  going  to  do  nothing  but  rest,  if  there 
is  any  authority  left  in  the  household — 
and  Uncle  Doctor  and  I  have  stirred  up 
a  lot  already  this  morning." 

Somewhat  relieved,  Gene  walked 
quickly  back  to  the  house  with  Anne  and 
up  to  her  mother's  room. 

"More  spoiling  for  me,  I  see,"  smiled 
Mrs.  Carter,  already  stronger  from  relax- 
ation, and  Gene  took  up  the  giving  of 
orders  and  the  petting  where  Anne  had 
left  it  off. 

"Where  is  your  purse,  mother?"  said 
Anne.  "I  am  going  to  market  now." 

"In  the  upper  dresser  drawer,"  Mrs. 
Carter  returned.  Then  she  added:  "Be 
careful,  Anne,  how  you  spend,  for  that 
must  last  us  till  your  father  gets  back." 

"I  know,"  Anne  returned.  "I  shall  be 
so  stingy  that  my  buying  instead  of  you 
will  be  a  great  advantage  to  this  poor  old 


232  Anne's  Wedding 

purse.  It  may  even  begin  to  swell  up, 
it  will  be  so  proud  of  itself!" 

She  went  out  in  gay  confidence,  but 
once  on  the  street  she  looked  in  the  purse 
to  see  how  much  money  there  really  was. 
Only  four  dollars  and  ninety  cents! 
Anne  did  not  know  much  about  buying 
table  supplies  for  a  household  of  eight 
people,  all  with  very  good  appetites  and 
Murton  Grey  with  one  which  could  only 
be  described  as  unlimited,  but  she  felt  in- 
tuitively that  the  sum  the  purse  held 
would  simply  be  impossible  for  a  month's 
supplies.  She  was  unaware  that  snugly 
hidden  away  in  another  compartment  of 
the  purse  lay  a  more  substantial  bill,  a 
more  adequate,  though  not  lavish,  re- 
source for  the  month's  needs.  Mrs.  Car- 
ter, in  her  unusual  relaxation,  did  not  re- 
member to  speak  of  the  reserve  amount. 

If  Anne  was  disturbed  on  the  way  as  the 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs     233 

small  amount  was  revealed  to  her,  she  was 
dismayed  when  she  reached  the  market 
and  found  how  rapidly  steaks  and  chops, 
flour,  coffee,  etc.,  counted  up  when  a  purse 
is  thin.  If  mother  was  troubled  like  this 
every  day — why  she,  for  one,  was  cer- 
tainly going  to  eat  less  hereafter.  And 
Murton  Grey — she  surely  was  going  to 
take  a  tuck  in  his  stomach,  as  she  had 
heard  was  sometimes  necessary  with  grow- 
ing boys — why,  he  must  eat  up  a  lot  of 
money  every  day! 

With  the  wide  eyes  of  her  childhood, 
when  life  was  every  day  bringing  unex- 
pected things  to  her,  Anne  made  cautious 
purchases,  and  started  home  soberly  at 
last,  with  absorbing  determination  to  find 
new  ways  of  economy  and  money-making. 
No  wonder  mother  was  sick  if  she  had  to 
worry  like  this  every  day  over  what  she 
bought  for  them  to  eat!  Then  a  little 


234  Anne's  Wedding 

bitterness  came  creeping  in,  as  it  is  ever  on 
the  watch  to  do  with  a  discouraged  mind. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  Colonel  Thompson 
—and  then — who  should  come  cantering 
down  the  road  on  his  favorite  spirited 
saddle-mare,  which  had  by  some  means 
been  retained  in  the  wreck  of  his  for- 
tunes, but  Colonel  Thompson,  himself! 

The  mare  was  in  fine  mettle  this  morn- 
ing and  danced  a  bit  as  she  passed,  neces- 
sitating a  tight  rein  from  her  rider,  but 
the  Colonel  was  not  too  occupied  with  her 
control  to  fail  to  look  with  keen  eyes  di- 
rectly upon  Anne. 

It  was  the  first  time  the  girl  had  ever 
found  great  difficulty  in  producing  a  de- 
termined smile,  but  now  it  seemed  held 
fast  by  that  creeping  strain  of  bitterness, 
and  the  bright  young  head  was  forced  to 
nod  at  last  with  only  a  faint,  constrained 
flicker  of  pleasant  muscles  about  the 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs     235 

mouth,  and  not  a  ghost  of  a  smile  in  the 
blue-gray  eyes. 

The  Colonel,  however,  was  too  far  away 
out  in  the  road  to  notice  all  this  with  his 
somewhat  failing  eyes,  and  he  lifted  his 
hat  gallantly  to  her,  as  he  had  come  to 
do  in  recent  weeks. 

The  mare  cantered  spiritedly  past  and 
Anne  hurried  on  with  disturbed  thoughts 
toward  home,  which  was  then  only  half  a 
city  block  away. 

Suddenly  she  stopped  at  the  sound  of 
madly  flying  hoofs  down  the  street  behind 
her,  and  turning  involuntarily,  she  saw 
Colonel  Thompson  and  his  mare  charging 
down  the  road  at  a  terrific  pace.  Before 
she  could  think,  the  frightened  animal 
had  plunged  toward  the  sidewalk  where 
she  stood,  then,  seeming  to  see  her, 
whirled  again  with  high-flung  hoofs,  toss- 
ing the  helpless  Colonel  in  a  huddled  mass 


236  Anne's  Wedding 

against  a  telegraph  pole  at  her  feet,  and, 
unburdened,  fled  like  a  comet  in  a  trail 
of  dust  down  the  road  out  of  sight.  It 
was  a  paralyzing  moment  of  horror 
merged  into  another  filled  with  terrible 
groans  from  the  huddled  figure.  Anne 
looked  frantically  about  to  see  if  any  one 
was  in  sight,  but  when  the  clattering  hoofs 
died  away  not  a  sound  save  the  groans 
marred  the  quiet  of  the  little  town,  and  no 
one  appeared  on  the  street. 

"Lord,  Lord,  help  me!"  cried  the  suf- 
fering man,  and  Anne's  girlish  horror- 
stricken  face  bent  over  him. 

One  glance  at  her  and  he  vociferated : 
"Lord,  can't  you  see  I'm  dying  with  pain? 
Move  me,  girl,  move  me,  I  say!" 

"How?"  cried  Anne. 

"Off  this  leg — can't  you  see  it's  broken, 
you  fool?" 

With  all  her  might  Anne  tugged  to  get 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs     237 

him  over  on  his  back  amid  curses  and 
execrations  till  the  pain  of  it  sent  the  suf- 
fering man  into  merciful  oblivion. 

"Oh,  he  is  dead!"  she  cried  in  her 
heart.  His  head  was  hanging  back  in  the 
gutter-trough  #nd  she  lifted  it  to  her  knee 
— she  couldn't  see  it  hanging  so  horribly. 
Then  she  prayed :  "Oh,  God,  send  some- 
body to  help  me!"  over  and  over  again, 
but  not  a  passer-by  appeared,  and  the  song 
of  a  bird  only  made  more  bare  the  still- 
ness. 

What  could  she  do?  If  Uncle  Doctor 
would  only  come!  Suppose  the  Colonel 
should  die — if  he  hadn't  already — because 
no  one  came  to  help?  She  must  do  some- 
thing, get  somebody.  Suddenly  her  eye 
lit  upon  the  package  of  meat  she  was  car- 
rying home  and  which  had  been  dropped 
in  her  excitement.  She  could  just  reach 
it,  and,  without  a  thought,  she  tucked  the 


238  Anne's  Wedding 

bundle  of  economically  bought  steak  and 
chops  under  the  Colonel's  limp  head. 
Then  she  flew  on  the  wings  of  the  wind. 
The  little  singing  bird  could  scarce  have 
beaten  her.  The  doctor  was  just  coming 
to  the  front  door — perhaps  in  answer  to 
that  prayer  of  hers — and  she  fell  upon  him 
with  breathless  revelation  and  appeal. 

"Wait,  wait,  Anne,"  he  said  sternly,  and 
held  her  close  till  the  breath  was  more 
regular  and  the  heart  less  tumultuous. 
Then  she  told  him  more  coherently  what 
had  happened. 

"Come  with  me,"  was  all  he  said,  and 
the  two  went  again  with  all  speed  to  the 
injured  man. 

"He  has  fainted  with  pain,"  said  the 
doctor  after  examination;  "his  hip  is 
broken;  I  don't  know  what  else.  We 
must  get  him  to  the  house  as  quickly  as 
possible." 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs      239 

"Our  house,  you  mean?"  questioned 
Anne. 

"Yes ;  it  is  imperative." 

The  doctor  did  not  know  that  this  in- 
jured man  was  the  cause  of  the  Carters' 
loss  of  fortune,  he  did  not  know  Colonel 
Thompson  by  sight,  but  probably  that 
would  have  made  no  difference  had  he 
known,  for  the  physician's  instinct  was 
dominant. 

"Go,  Anne,  and  get  some  one  to  help — 
and  bring  my  medicine  case — my  wife 
will  tell  you  where  it  is.  Get  anybody, 
to  help  move  him  as  quickly  as  you  can." 

Anne's  feet  were  again  like  wings  in 
their  speed,  but  the  psychic  call  that 
brings  a  crowd  from  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  seemingly,  when  there  has  been  an 
accident,  was  now  at  work,  and  before 
she  was  hardly  in  the  house  willing  hands 
on  the  street  were  offered  to  carry  the 


240  Anne's  Wedding 

limp  form  slowly  and  with  utmost  care 
into  the  quiet  home  of  the  family  whom 
he  had  wronged. 

Anne  had  roused  the  house  meantime, 
being  careful,  however,  that  the  news 
reached  her  mother  as  quietly  as  possible. 
Aunt  Martha  and  Gene  at  once  began 
making  a  bed  ready,  and  Anne  herself 
met  the  burdened  men  at  the  door,  with 
the  doctor's  medicine-case  in  her  hand. 
They  paused  in  the  hall  while  the  doc- 
tor administered  a  hypodermic  and  then 
bore  the  injured  colonel  up  the  stairs  into 
Anne's  own  room?  That  could  quickest 
be  put  in  readiness,  and  dispatch  was  the 
ruling  motive  with  every  one  involved. 

A  moment  of  time,  and  life  has  cast  the 
facts  of  a  common-place  day  into  an  un- 
believable cataclysm  with  all  the  ease  and 
seemingly  flippant  flying  of  hoofs  dis- 
played by  the  Colonel's  high-strung  mare. 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs      241 

The  Colonel  lying  white  and  helpless 
in  Anne's  bed,  the  hands  who  had  brought 
him  there  all  dismissed,  and  she  stood  at 
the  doctor's  side,  at  his  command,  ready 
to  do  his  bidding. 

"Martha  cannot  help  with  this — she  be- 
gan too  late  in  life — but  you've  got  good 
stuff  in  you,  Anne.  I  depend  on  you  to 
help  us.  I  have  sent  for  a  doctor,  but 
he  may  be  a  dozen  miles  away  on  these 
red  clay  hills,  and  we  must  do  what  we 
can  while  he  is  quiet." 

The  doctor  arrived  promptly,  however, 
but  Anne  soon  proved  herself  indispens- 
able. She,  in  her  startling  experience, 
had  already  gone  beyond  the  region  of 
quivering  nerves,  into  a  new  world  of 
marvelously  clear  brain,  steady  muscles 
and  intuitive  movement.  She  found  her- 
self assisting  in  giving  an  anesthetic  and 
deftly  anticipating  the  doctor's  every 


242  Anne's  Wedding 

thought,  it  almost  seemed.  Dr.  Murton 
had  laid  in  a  full  supply  of  bandages  and 
all  things  needful  for  their  trip  to  the 
mountains  early  in  January,  not  knowing 
what  experience  might  surprise  them  on 
such  an  expedition,  and  these  supplies 
were  adequately  supplemented  by  the 
other  physician's  forethought  So  the 
work  moved  forward  under  the  two  doc- 
tors' skillful  hands,  with  Anne  to  help, 
and  careful  setting  of  the  broken  hip  was 
promptly  and  successfully  accomplished. 
Not  one  of  them  had  taken  account  of 
time  or  had  thought  of  eating,  but  glanc- 
ing at  Anne  with  affectionate  eyes  at  last, 
when  all  was  done,  Dr.  Murton  said  per- 
emptorily, "Go,  get  you  something  to  eat 
at  once."  And  Anne  wonderingly 
obeyed.  Eat — why,  she  had  forgotten 
there  was  such  a  thing  as  food  neces- 
sary. 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs     243 

Slowly  she  made  her  way  down-stairs 
and  into  the  dining-room  still  in  a  daze. 
Cahaba  met  her. 

"Miss  Anne,  you's  just  starved,  I  know! 
Everybody's  eat  but  you  and  the  doctor," 
she  went  on,  as  Anne  looked  inquiringly 
around.  "But  they  wouldn't  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  me.  I  almost  had  to  stuff  it 
down  Miss  Martha,  she  was  so  upset,  and 
Miss  Gene  made  your  mother  eat.  I 
hope  \  won't  have  to  do  that  with  you," 
she  ended  anxiously. 

"No,"  said  Anne  at  last,  coming  back 
to  the  normal,  "I'm  hungry,  I  really  be- 
lieve 1" 

"In  course  you  are,"  cried  Cahaba  with 
happy  reversion  to  aboriginal  speech,  "an' 
I  will  bring  your  dinner  right  in." 

Dinner  suggested  steak  and  chops  and 
Anne  hurried  anxiously  after  her  into  the 
kitchen. 


244  Anne's  Wedding 

"Why,  what  did  you  have  for  dinner, 
Cahaba?"  she  cried. 

Cahaba  gave  her  head  a  scornful  little 
toss  for  preliminary  answer. 

"I  ain't  got  that  meat  old  Colonel 
Thompson  was  a-laying  on,  that's  sure! 
That  smart  black  Tom,  what  tries  to  come 
'round  here,  brought  it  to  me — a-grinnin', 
sayin'  'Here  is  your  dinner  Colonel 
Thompson  had  for  a  pillow  out  in  the 
street.'  He  knows  I  hate  that  man  like 
pizen,  anyway — and  I  jus'  'bout  busted 
his  head  with  that  bundle  of  meat!" 

When  she  and  Cahaba  had  laughed  to- 
gether, "Where  did  you  get  this,  then?" 
asked  Anne,  leaving  other  points  of  inter- 
est for  the  main  thing — where  had  the 
meat  come  from? 

"I  jus'  told  that  nigger  if  he  ever 
wanted  to  come  'round  here  again,  he'd 
go  up  to  town  and  get  me  some  meat  what 


A  Startling   Turn  of  Affairs      245 

hadn't  been  contaminated  by  that  snake 
that's  up-stairs  in  your  room!  And  I 
throwed  the  money  after  him.  Don't  ask 
me  whose  money;  now,  Miss  Anne,  I'se 
had  all  I  can  stand  for  one  day — and  you 
have  too,  I  s'pect." 

There  was  something  about  Cahaba 
that  comes  even  to  the  humblest,  at  times 
— a  sort  of  finality  which  compels  the  re- 
spect of  others. 

Anne  also  was  too  tired,  now  that  she 
had  relaxed,  to  ask  any  further  questions 
and  she  went  back  to  the  dining-room 
while  Cahaba  served  her  bountifully. 

How  did  Cahaba  know  anything  about 
Colonel  Thompson?  That  she  did  was 
very  evident.  She  was  scarcely  through 
her  dinner  when  the  colored  girl  appeared 
and  stood  by  the  table.  "Miss  Anne," 
she  began,  "is  you  going  to  keep  him 
here?" 


246  Anne's  Wedding 

"Why,  of  course,  Cahaba;  we  must  till 
he  is  able  to  be  moved." 

"In  your  room?"  the  girl  protested. 

"Certainly;  I  can  easily  stay  with— 
Gene." 

"Don't  do  it,  for  the  Lord's  sake,  Miss 
Anne!  Mammy  Sue  says  she's  afraid  he 
will  hoodoo  the  house,  if  you  do,"  and 
Cahaba's  voice  had  a  touch  of  supersti- 
tious awe. 

"Look  here,  Cahaba,  you  know  better 
than  that,"  said  Anne  severely. 

"Well,  anyhow,"  returned  the  girl, 
ashamed  of  betraying  the  failing  of  her 
race,  "we  all  hate  him  like  poison,  as  I 
told  you,"  and  her  eyes  flashed  with  anger 
and  resentment. 

"What  do  you  know  about  him?"  asked 
Anne  quietly. 

"Know  'bout  him?  Why,  everybody 
in  this  town  knows  that  he  stole  everything 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs      247 

your  father  had  and  brought  all  this  trou- 
ble to  us  all.  You  think  folks  don't  know 
it?"  and  she  laughed.  "Why,  even  every 
nigger  knows,  let  'lone  white  folks,  and  I 
must  say,  Miss  Anne,  I'se  had  a  time  mak- 
ing you  seem  respectable,"  (Cahaba  was 
getting  entirely  off  her  balance)  "  'cause 
they  tell  me  you  speaks  to  him  and  smiles 
at  him  whenever  you  sees  him  on  the 
street." 

If  anything  was  needed  to  make  Anne 
realize  the  difference  between  the  un- 
bridled hate  of  ignorance  and  the  sweet 
peace  of  a  spirit  determinedly  lifted  above 
enmity  and  revenge,  it  was  put  before  her 
in  the  contrast  between  Cahaba's  fiery 
temper  and  her  own  strange  calm  after 
complete  surrender  to  the  law  of  whole- 
hearted service  to  an  enemy.  That  serv- 
ice had  first  been  whole-hearted  through 
involuntary  action  on  her  part,  it  was  true, 


248  Anne's  Wedding 

but  according  to  its  law  it  brought,  as  it 
always  and  inevitably  does,  exemption 
from  resentful  passion. 

"Now,  Cahaba,"  said  Anne,  with  a  pe- 
culiar shade  of  authority  that  was  entirely 
new  between  them,  "we  have  nothing  to 
do  with  Colonel  Thompson's  sins — 
against  us  or  any  one  else.  He  is  here, 
helpless  and  suffering,  and  we  must  do 
all  we  can  for  him.  That  is  all  I  have 
to  say." 

It  was  Cahaba's  turn  to  recognize  final- 
ity, and  Anne  rose  with  her  own  attitude 
clearly  defined  and  more  promptly  than 
it  otherwise  might  have  been. 

Uncle  Doctor,  coming  along  the  hall  at 
that  moment,  heard  Anne's  declaration  of 
humanitarian  policy,  and  though  he  did 
not  then  know  all  that  was  back  of  it,  his 
white  forelock  bobbed  with  admiration. 

"Look  here,  Cahaba,  have  you  let  Anne 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs     249 

eat  up  all  there  is?  I  am  hungry  as  a 
school-boy!" 

"No,  indeed,  doctor,  there's  plenty  for 
you,"  the  girl  assured  him,  and  stepped 
quickly  to  the  kitchen  for  more  supplies. 

"Anne,  see  here—  '  he  turned  enthusi- 
astically to  her,  "you  are  going  to  miss 
your  calling  if  you  continue  the  pursuit 
of  wedding  finery!"  And  at  Anne's  ring- 
ing laugh  he  grew  vehement :  "I  tell  you 
I  feel  almost  called  upon  to  break  up  that 
surging  line  of  letters  between  you  and 
England  and  reserve  you  for  home  con- 
sumption! Why,  child,  you  are  a  born 
nurse!  Florence  Nightingale  would  not 
be  in  it  any  more  if  this  Southern  mock- 
ingbird should  don  a  cap  and  apron!" 

"Uncle  Doctor,  you  need  some  dinner 
to  steady  your  head,"  Anne  laughed  as 
Cahaba  brought  in  the  dinner. 

When  she  had  gone  he  turned  again  to 


250  Anne's  Wedding 

Anne  with  moist  eyes :  "Child,  you  were 
splendid!" 

With  a  singing  heart  Anne  left  him  to 
see  how  her  mother  was  after  all  the  ex- 
citement, thus  leaving  the  way  open  for 
Cahaba  to  come  back  on  some  pretext  and 
enlighten  the  doctor  as  to  the  identity  of 
the  injured  man  lying  in  Anne's  sunny 
bedroom. 

He  dropped  knife  and  fork  in  utter 
amazement  at  the  revelation.  Imagining 
a  feeling  akin  to  hers  in  this  demonstra- 
tion, Cahaba  said,  jokingly,  but  with 
plenty  of  animosity  back  of  the  sugges- 
tion: 

"Doctor,  can't  we  pizen  him  ?" 

"Well,  Cahaba,  I  confess  I  feel  like  it 
—but  I  guess  we  won't.  Anne  has  set  us 
the  example  of  putting  a  few  coals  of  fire 
on  his  head — perhaps  we  had  better  fol- 
low it." 


A  Startling  Turn  of  Affairs     251 

"That  Anne!"  he  muttered  under  his 
breath  as  Cahaba  left  him,  putting  a 
world  of  concentrated  affection  in  the  ex- 
clamation. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

STRENUOUS  THINGS  FOR  ANNE 

W  HEN  Dr.  Murton  returned  to  the 
Colonel's  bedside,  the  injured  man  was 
just  rousing. 

"Where  is  she?"  he  demanded. 

"Whom  do  you  want?"  asked  the  doc- 
tor with  intuitive  suspicion  that  it  was 
Anne,  the  old  reprobate  (as  he  charac- 
terized the  Colonel  in  his  thought  there- 
after) was  asking  for,  and  determined  at 
once  to  forbid  further  service  on  her  part 
at  the  bedside. 

"Anne — Anne  Carter,  I  tell  you,  where 
is  she?"  in  a  dazed  sort  of  way. 

"Yes,  she  was  here  and  did  care  for 

252 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      253 

you  when  you  were  first  hurt,  but  her 
business  is  not  nursing,"  and  there  was  a 
very  stern  note  in  his  voice;  "she  is  top 
young  and  inexperienced— 

The  Colonel  fairly  snorted  as  he  threw 
off  the  thralldom  of  opiates  with  angry  de- 
termination :  "I  say  I  want  her  here,  and 
I  am  going  to  have  her!  Do  you  know 
what  it  is  to  interfere  with  a  Thompson?" 
and  he  made  as  if  to  rise  only  to  find  him- 
self horribly  bound  with  pain,  bandages 
and  weights. 

The  next  few  minutes  were  filled  with 
a  volley  of  oaths  and  raving  against  the 
tragedy  which  had  befallen  him,  with  ex- 
ecrations against  the  mare  who  had  been 
frightened  at  nothing  as  the  whole  thing 
came  back  to  him,  and  it  took  both  doc- 
tors to  hold  him  and  manage  a  hypo- 
dermic syringe.  When  the  latter  had  be- 
gun to  take  effect  the  blanched  face 


254  Anne's  Wedding 

turned  in  strange  appeal :  "I  want  to  see 
her!" 

And  Anne  was  at  the  door,  having 
heard  the  commotion  and  come  at  once 
to  see  if  she  could  help,  not  dreaming  that 
she  was  the  innocent  cause  of  the  trouble. 

The  Colonel  lay  upon  her  bed,  his  once 
fine  face  showing  the  traces  of  unbridled 
temper  and  a  weakening  of  the  once  clean 
lines  of  strength  and  honesty  which  had 
distinguished  his  antecedents.  The  hair 
was  gray  which  fell  upon  his  high  fore- 
head and  an  iron  gray  mustache,  im- 
maculately kept,  bristled  beneath  a  large 
well-formed  nose.  His  length  was  long 
and  little  surplus  flesh  marked  its  pro- 
portions, while  unused  muscles  gave  a 
suggestion  of  frailty  to  the  prostrate 
figure  which  was  not  borne  out  in  actual 
vitality.  As  Anne  came  to  the  bedside, 
he  reached  a  slender,  tapering  but  very 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      255 

firm  hand  out  to  her  and  when  she  took 
it  wonderingly,  he  gripped  it  with  a  vice- 
like  intensity,  and  did  not  let  go;  she  was 
obliged  to  sit  down  beside  him  while  he 
fell  into  sleep  again.  This  was  but  a 
forecast  of  the  hours  and  days  to  follow. 
He  called  for  Anne  constantly  the  mo- 
ment she  was  out  of  the  room,  and  it  was 
impossible  to  keep  him  quiet  unless  she 
was  there,  while,  intensely  profane  when 
she  was  out  of  sight,  not  an  oath  passed 
his  lips  in  her  presence.  Nurses  were 
not  common  in  the  little  town,  but  if  there 
had  been  one  at  hand  she  could  not  have 
relieved  Anne,  for  it  became  little  short 
of  fatal  for  her  to  be  long  from  the  sick- 
room during  the  day,  and  only  opiates 
for  the  patient  gave  her  relief  from  her 
task  at  night. 

Anne  had  never  done  any  nursing  of 
the  sick  in  her  life;  if  any  one  had  told 


256  Anne's  Wedding 

her  a  week  before  that  such  a  task  was 
immediately  at  hand  for  her,  she  would 
have  been  appalled.  But  here  was  the 
helpless  man  clinging  to  her  in  his  suffer- 
ing, his  very  life  seeming  to  hang  upon 
her  presence  in  those  first  days  of  half 
delirium  from  pain  and  necessary  nar- 
cotics, and  with  her  warm-hearted  in- 
stincts and  efficiency  along  many  lines, 
she  seemed  to  unfold  spontaneously  as  a 
nurse.  Not  only  did  the  little  art  of 
soothing  come  easily  to  her  young  hands, 
but  the  doctor  also  found  he  could  rely 
on  her  judgment  in  matters  of  more  seri- 
ous moment,  thus  admirably  fulfilling  his 
prediction. 

When  the  doctor  had  been  ready  to 
keep  her  away  from  the  sickroom,  and  let 
the  consequences  be  what  they  might, 
Anne  had  been  very  firm.  "If  the  Col- 
onel wants  me  I  am  going  to  stay,  Uncle 


'Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      257 

Doctor.  Poor  old  man,  everybody  says 
he  has  had  his  own  way  all  his  life,  order- 
ing servants  and  family  around  like  a 
tyrant.  My!  Uncle  Doctor,  if  having 
one's  own  way  makes  folks  as  dreadful  as 
he  is,  nobody  ought  to  want  just  their  own 
way  all  the  time !" 

The  doctor  had  laughed,  "Well,  most 
of  us  are  willing  to  risk  it,  I  guess,  Anne." 

Truth  to  tell,  the  doctor  was  feeling  a 
little  guilty — just  pleasantly  so,  however, 
for  he,  with  Cahaba's  connivance,  was 
carrying  things  his  own  way  with  a  high 
hand.  Cahaba  abandoned  her  school 
which  opened  about  that  time,  and  con- 
tinued giving  all  her  time  to  the  family 
needs.  With  Mrs.  Carter  still  under  rest 
commands,  forbidden  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  household  affairs,  and  Anne 
obliged  to  stay  with  the  Colonel,  she  kept 
possession  of  the  kitchen  with  no  one  to 


258  'Anne's  Wedding 

say  her  nay.  Then  came  the  doctor's  op- 
portunity. When  he  took  his  daily  walk 
in  the  morning  the  market  was  his  desti- 
nation and  the  family  table  fairly  groaned 
for  a  period.  His  wife  also  aided  and 
abetted  the  scheme. 

Anne  did  not  give  it  all  a  thought  those 
first  strenuous  days  in  the  sickroom.  The 
only  other  vital  interest  she  could  com- 
pass were  the  ocean  letters  and  they  were 
very  meager.  She  thought  ruefully  to 
herself,  "They  are  not  big  enough  to  stir 
up  much  foam."  When  she  did  think  of 
other  things,  her  first  realization  was  that 
Cahaba  was  not  at  her  school. 

"Cahaba,  what  do  you  mean  by  stay- 
ing away  from  your  school?"  she  cried, 
going  at  once  to  the  kitchen  where  the 
girl  was  busy  washing  dishes. 

"Shucks,"  said  the  teacher  in  reply, 
making  the  dishes  fly  from  the  pan  to  the 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      259 

sink,  "them  little  niggers,  most  of  'em,  is 
jes'  nat'rally  gettin'  bald,  scratchin'  their 
heads  to  fine  something  that  ain't  in  'em! 
They  ain't  got  a  bit  of  sense;  I'm  tired 
fooling  with  'em,  Miss  Anne." 

"Now,  Cahaba,  you  know  that  isn't  so! 
I  have  heard  you  brag  how  fast  they 
learned." 

"Well,"  returned  Cahaba,  defensively, 
"that's  jes'  a  few  of  'em,  them  that  learn, 
and  I  done  foun'  out  that  they're  gettin' 
the  big  head  so,  they're  likely  to  bust  any 
minute!"  Cahaba's  own  learning  which 
she  had  always  put  on  or  off  at  will, 
seemed  fast  vanishing  altogether  in  her 
scorn  of  "nigger  larnin'  "  in  general. 

"Cahaba,  that  won't  do,"  said  Anne— 
but  in  a  puzzled  way — for  how  could  they 
get  along  without  her — so  many  in  the 
family  and  no  one  who  ought  to  do  the 
work. 


260  Anne's  Wedding 

The  girl  caught  that  worried  look  and 
instantly  changed  her  tactics.  "Miss 
Anne,  don't  you  bother  yourself  'bout  my 
school.  I  got  somebody  to  take  my  place 
— a  good  teacher,  too — better  than  I  am, 
a  whole  heap." 

"You  are  the  best  thing  in  the  world, 
Cahaba,"  Anne  returned  warmly,  and  she 
could  not  have  paid  the  girl  more  com- 
pletely. 

But  the  money  they  were  spending  be- 
gan to  worry  Anne,  and  she  could  not  say 
a  word,  for  Colonel  Thompson  had  to 
have  delicacies,  and  everybody  had  to  eat 
if  the  heavens  fell  while  they  were  doing 
it!  She  didn't  dare  ask  where  supplies 
were  coming  from — but  sometime  they 
would  have  to  be  paid  for.  She  must  get 
to  making  money  just  as  fast  as  she  could. 
Wedding  finery?  Oh,  no,  shimmering 
gowns  and  jeweled  crowns  had  grown 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      261 

very  dim  of  late — she  must  earn  money 
that  they  might  pay  for  what  they  ate. 

She  looked  out  the  window  as  she 
mused  one  day  while  the  Colonel,  who 
was  greatly  improved  now,  took  a  nap, 
and  there,  in  full  view,  was  a  china-berry 
tree  hung  with  clustering,  soft  yellow 
balls.  She  cringed  instantly  as  she 
thought  of  how  they  smelt — but  oh,  why 
not  gather  and  dry  some  now,  and  go  at 
once  to  making  the  necklaces  she  hoped  to 
sell!  She  couldn't  wait  till  nature  fin- 
ished her  part  in  the  work.  She  slipped 
excitedly  away  while  she  had  opportunity 
and  at  once  enlisted  Gene  and  Cahaba  in 
picking  them,  who  laughed  at  her,  but 
were  willing  to  help.  They  went  out  im- 
mediately, the  three,  and  finding  the 
ground  covered  with  the  "squashy"  yel- 
low balls,  they  cleared  this  first,  making 
much  ado  over  the  odor,  and  then  the 


262  Xnne's  Wedding 

agile  Cahaba  cried,  "Lemme  climb  the 
tree!  When  I  was  a  little  nig,  don't  you 
know,  I  could  beat  any  boy  skinning  a 
tree?"  And  in  a  twinkling  she  was  up  in 
the  spreading  china-berry,  and  handing 
down  loads  of  them  to  the  others,  while 
they  held  their  noses  and  alternated  be- 
tween disgust  and  joy  over  the  golden  pile 
which  held  such  great  promise. 

Murton  Grey  came  along,  and  joined 
the  force  after  duly  expressing  his  scorn 
of  ripe  china-berries. 

"They're  no  good  except  when  they  are 
green,"  he  ended,  "then  they  are  dandy 
bullets  for  pop-guns." 

"We  know  that,"  laughed  Anne  and 
Gene.  "Haven't  we  made  many  a  pop- 
gun, and  shot  out  enough  green  china- 
berries  to  kill  all  the  birds  in  the  country 
—if  they  had  ever  hit  anything?"  went 
on  Anne. 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      263 

"Well,  that  old  Mr.  Bird  has  been  hit 
by  a  ripe  one,"  cried  Murton  Grey.  "See 
how  drunk  he  is — he  has  been  eating 
them!"  And,  sure  enough,  the  poor 
thing  dashed  about  helplessly  with  his 
bird  brain  beclouded  by  ripe  china-ber- 
ries. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Bird,  I  am  ashamed  of  you," 
said  Gene ;  "you  know  better — you  needn't 
pretend  you  don't!" 

"Knowin'  better  and  doin'  better  is  two 
different  things,"  dropped  Cahaba  sagely 
from  the  tree  top. 

Then  she  went  on  with  seeming  irrele- 
vance: "There's  a  heap  of  people  that 
thinks  they  are  great  because  they's  got 
some  handle  to  their  names — Colonel,  or 
somethin'  like  that,  when  they  ain't  fit  to 
walk  the  earth  with  some  other  folks — 
much  less  sleep  on  their  beds  and  eat  out 
of  their  kitchen!"  She  added  in  a  still 


264  Anne's  Wedding 

louder  voice,  "Somebody'll  get  a  spider 
in  their  dumplin'  yet!" 

Cahaba  would  have  her  fling  at  the 
Colonel,  now  and  then,  and  looking  now 
up  into  his  room  from  her  perch,  she  was 
aroused  anew. 

It  rankled  deeply  all  the  time  that  she 
had  to  prepare  things  for  that  buzzard 
(her  private  term  for  him)  to  eat.  She 
had  protested  to  Anne  that  she  couldn't 
get  the  dishes  clean  that  he  ate  out  of,  and 
declared  that  she  had  to  scald  and  sun 
every  one  of  them.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
she  would  not  wash  an  article  he  had  used 
with  any  other  dishes;  she  had  a  separate 
pan  for  his  things,  and  had  secret  inten- 
tion of  burying  it  along  with  every  dish 
he  had  used,  when  he  left. 

She  had  made  the  speech  now  with  a 
daring  hope  that  he  might  hear  it,  as  the 
china-berry  tree  was  not  far  from  his  win- 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      265 

dow,  but  Anne  and  Gene  had  both  cried, 
"Sh-sh-sh-ee,  Cahaba,"  in  quick,  em- 
phatic rebuke,  while  to  cover  it,  Anne 
went  on:  "Ripe  china-berries  are  detest- 
able, there  is  no  doubt  about  that,  but  just 
wait  till  they  are  transformed!  I  will 
give  you  a  necklace  for  your  sweetheart, 
Murton  Grey,  when  I  have  one  finished, 
if  you  will  help  with  picking  and  spread- 
ing the  berries  to  dry." 

But  this  offer  proved  a  decided  damper 
to  Murton  Grey's  activity.  "When  I 
have  a  sweetheart  she  won't  wear  china- 
berry  necklaces,"  said  that  young  scion  of 
Southern  aristocracy,  and  promptly  left 
them. 

Cahaba  then  was  heard  from  again. 
"Miss  Anne,  you  certainly  can't  sell  no 
china-berry  things  to  Southern  folks ;  you 
see  even  the  chillen  will  turn  up  their 
noses  at  'em." 


266  'Anne's  Wedding 

"I  don't  expect  to  sell  them  to  folks 
here,"  returned  Anne  stoutly,  not  to  be 
thwarted  in  her  plans,  but  her  mind  ran 
quickly  along  discouraging  paths,  never- 
theless. She  must  make  some  money  and 
help  buy  things  to  eat,  and  while  china- 
berries  should  be  left  till  fall  or  mid-win- 
ter to  dry  on  the  tree,  for  they  wouldn't 
be  so  disagreeable  then,  she  didn't  know 
any  other  way  just  now  till  chincapins 
were  ready  in  late  October  to  make  a  bit 
of  money.  Mother  had  had  only  four 
dollars  and  ninety  cents  with  which  to  buy 
things  for  them  to  eat  for  a  whole  month 
— for  father  might  be  gone  that  long — 
and  she  didn't  remember  how  much  of 
that  startling  sum  she  had  spent  the  day 
the  Colonel  was  hurt.  She  had  returned 
the  purse  to  her  mother  without  learning 
of  the  reserve  amount  in  another  compart- 
ment, and  had  not  found  heart  to  discuss 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      267 

the  matter  of  money  since,  while  Mrs. 
Carter  had  been  completely  silenced  by 
Dr.  Murton's  insistence  that  she  should 
have  nothing  to  do  even  with  family  ac- 
counts for  a  time — he  and  Anne  were  man- 
aging things. 

Gene,  busy  with  the  gathering  of  dis- 
agreeable fruit  in  material  shape,  felt  a 
sudden  surge  of  bitter  protesting  thought 
at  Murton  Grey  and  Cahaba's  scorn  of 
Anne's  necklaces-to-be.  Why  wouldn't 
mother  and  the  rest  of  them  let  her  do 
things  for  them  with  her  money?  There 
was  nothing  the  world  held  of  travel  or 
treasure  or  learning  that  she  wanted  so 
much  as  to  help  these  dear  ones,  and 
quick,  angry  tears  sprang  to  the  young 
eyes. 

They  might  as  well  have  been  under  a 
juniper  tree,  the  three  girls  with  their 
youth  and  strength  and  high  spirits. 


268  Anne's  Wedding 

"Look  here,"  cried  Anne,  sensing  it  all, 
her  own  discouraging  excursion  of 
thought  after  miserable  family  facts,  and 
Gene's  glistening  tears  which  she  could 
readily  interpret,  together  with  Cahaba 
and  Murton  Grey's  contempt  for  her  pro- 
ject, "I  am  not  going  to  let  these  mean  old 
china-berries  get  the  best  of  me  (she  was 
a  child  again  in  the  vigor  and  unreason 
of  her  combativeness),  the  necklaces  are 
going  to  turn  out  just  beautiful,  and  I 
am  going  to  send  them  North,  and  sell 
them  to  folks  that  don't  know  a  thing 
about  china-berries  before  they  evo- 
luted!" 

The  other  two  laughed  heartily  at  her 
vehemence  and  all  returned  to  work  in 
earnest  till  at  last  a  great  quantity  of  the 
dead-ripe  berries  were  spread  out  in  the 
sun  to  dry.  But,  viewing  them  finally, 
Anne's  fully  recovered  enthusiasm  could 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      269 

not  wait  for  this  slow  but  sure  process  of 
drying. 

"Cahaba,  we  will  put  them  in  pans  and 
dry  them  in  the  oven,"  she  cried. 

"Not  in  my  oven,  Miss  Anne!  Good- 
ness! It  would  turn  my  stomach  clean 
wrong  side  out!" 

"Nonsense,  Cahaba,  they  wouldn't 
smell  a  bit  with  the  oven  door  shut!" 

Of  course  Cahaba  gave  in,  and  a  big 
pan  full  was  set  in  the  oven,  with  a  slow 
fire  that  they  might  not  burn  up.  When 
Anne  and  Gene  went  down  later  to  see 
about  them,  there  was,  in  truth,  a  very 
dominating  odor  in  the  kitchen,  and  Ca- 
haba had  her  nose  tied  down  flat  upon  her 
face  with  a  red  handkerchief  of  Mammy 
Sue's. 

The  girls  were  at  once  in  a  giggle  over 
how  funny  Cahaba  looked,  though  she 
refused  to  smile,  and  then  Anne  cautiously 


270  Anne's  Wedding 

opened  the  oven-door.  All  three  flew  for 
outdoors,  Cahaba  leading  the  way — for 
she  knew  what  was  coming — and  the  three 
laughed  till  the  tears  came.  They  did 
not  try  the  oven  again  for  drying,  but  a 
little  later  Anne  took  happy  possession  of 
two  big  sun-dried  pans  full,  ready  for  the 
scraping  process  which  should  take  the 
dried  tissue  from  the  corrugated  seeds. 
Gene  insisted  on  helping  with  this,  and 
the  two  girls  took  their  work  (when  air 
and  sun  had  removed  all  odor  from  the 
berries)  to  the  Colonel's  room.  He 
loved  to  have  both  girls  there  now,  and 
watch  while  their  clever  young  fingers 
pushed  a  needle  in  and  out,  chatting  to- 
gether the  while.  With  the  pain  largely 
gone  from  the  injured  hip,  the  pretty 
room  with  its  girlish  equipment  and  these 
two,  with  their  youth  and  freshness  going 
in  and  out,  were  like  a  bit  of  heaven  to 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      271 

him.  An  old  sister,  who  in  her  feeble- 
ness had  been  unable  to  come  to  him,  and 
himself  had  made  up  his  family  for  years, 
and  as  Anne  had  said,  he  ruled  everybody 
and  everything  about  him  with  a  rod  of 
iron,  blighting  their  lives  and  his  own. 
He  secretly  hoped  now  in  this  attractive 
atmosphere  that  he  would  not  be  able  to 
walk  for  months — a  hope  to  be  very 
surely  fulfilled — and  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  move  him  from  his  present 
quarters.  That  he  was  a  burden  upon  the 
household  was  not  a  matter  that  he  could 
be  expected  to  worry  about. 

After  he  had  watched  the  girls  with 
their  new  work  a  few  minutes,  he  asked, 
"What  have  you  got  there  now?" 

They  laughed,  for  they  had  intended  to 
puzzle  him,  and  Gene  took  him  one  to 
examine:  "See  if  you  can  tell  what  it 


is." 


272  Anne's  Wedding 

He  looked  it  over  carefully,  but  could 
not  make  out  what  it  could  be.  "It  is  an 
old  ugly,  smelly  china-berry,"  Gene  ex- 
claimed at  last,  "and  Anne  is  proposing 
to  make  gorgeous  necklaces  out  of  them  to 
sell." 

"Necklaces!"  he  exclaimed.  "For 
some  hottentot  then,  I  guess,"  he  added 
scornfully. 

"Now,  Colonel,"  said  Anne — they  had 
gotten  to  be  wonderful  friends  by  this 
time,  "they  are  going  to  be  perfectly  beau- 
tiful before  I  get  through  with  them. 
When  they  are  scraped,  they  are  to  be 
dyed  beautiful  colors,  and  strung  with 
pearls  interspersed,  and  you  cannot  im- 
agine how  elegant  they  are  going  to  be!" 

"No,  I  don't  think  I  can,"  chuckled  the 
Colonel. 

Then  Anne  flew  for  him  and  went 
through  all  the  motions  of  a  dreadful 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      273 

shaking  of  his  long,  lank  frame.  But  he 
watched  with  keen  interest  while  the  girls 
worked,  and  acknowledged  at  last  when 
a  finished  string  of  delicate  rose-colored 
corrugated  beads,  with  here  and  there  a 
pearl,  was  put  into  his  hands  by  the  proud 
Anne,  that  it  was  indeed  a  very  pretty 
thing. 

"Jove !  Those  will  sell  like  hot  cakes !" 
he  said  warmly.  "What  will  you  do  with 
all  the  money  you  are  going  to  get?" 

A  serious  look  flashed  into  Anne's  eyes 
for  a  moment  as  she  remembered  the  bills 
which  were  piling  up  as  she  supposed— 
but  she  must  not  let  him  know  about  that, 
and  with  a  quick  smile  following  it,  she 
said,  "I  will  tell  you  if  you  will  promise 
to  keep  my  secret." 

"The  promise  is  yours,"  was  his  prompt 
reply. 

"It  is  to  go  into  wedding  finery!" 


274  Anne's  Wedding 

The  Colonel's  hand  clasped  hers  and 
his  eyes  grew  moist  as  they  gazed  into 
the  glistening  gray-blue  depths  beside 
him. 

"Bless  you,  child,"  he  murmured 
brokenly.  He  wanted  to  say,  "God  bless 
you,"  but  it  had  been  many  years  since  he 
used  that  name  except  to  blaspheme  it. 
There  was  a  time,  however,  when  things 
were  different  with  him;  when  there  had 
been  a  young  wife  and  a  wee  baby  girl 
of  his  own.  But  they  had  flitted  away  to- 
gether in  his  youth,  and  the  beautiful  old 
house  of  his  father,  which  they  had  made 
glad,  had  known  innocent  joy  and  rever- 
ence no  more.  During  these  days  in  the 
Carter  household  with  the  pretty  Blossom 
Shop  beyond  his  window,  and  the  fra- 
grance and  bloom  of  kindly  deed  and 
word  dominating  the  atmosphere  about 
him,  those  early  days  had  almost  come  to 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      275 

seem  but  yesterday — with  the  bitterness 
and  sin  between  all  blotted  out. 

Sitting  down  beside  him,  Anne  told 
him  all  about  Donald,  and  the  letters  that 
plowed  the  ocean.  Neither  said  any- 
thing of  the  date  when  the  wedding  wras 
to  be :  Anne  silent  from  delicacy  which 
forbade  the  mention  of  the  losses  caused 
by  their  guest  which  were  responsible  for 
its  delay;  and  the  Colonel  knowing  well 
that  this  was  the  case,  for  a  little  town  does 
not  fail  to  reveal  the  affairs  of  its  well- 
known  inhabitants,  and  he  had  good  cause 
to  remember  this  much  discussed  item. 
But  the  bit  of  confidence  between  the  two, 
warmed  the  Colonel's  heart,  even  while 
remorse  stabbed  him  as  it  never  had  be- 
fore. "If  I  ever  get  out  of  this,"  he  de- 
clared inwardly,  "and  get  on  my  feet 
again — we  will  see."  And  the  Colonel 
had  hopes  of  which  he  had  never  spoken 


276  Anne's  Wedding 

to  any  one  that  his  affairs  might  yet 
straighten  out. 

Anne  wondered  at  herself  when  she 
had  left  him.  "Who  would  ever  have 
dreamed  that  I  would  make  a  confidant 
of  Colonel  Thompson  and  tell  him — of 
all  people  in  the  world — about  my  love 
affair?" 

But  life  was  teaching  her  that  all  things 
are  possible  with  an  unembittered  heart. 

Colonel  Thompson  had  been  quartered 
in  Anne's  pretty  room,  with  its  pink  flow- 
ered paper  and  dainty  appointments, 
about  three  weeks  when  she  gave  him  this 
confidence  concerning  Donald  and  the 
wedding  that  was  to  be  some  day  when 
everything  was  all  right  for  it,  and  it  had 
a  most  unexpected  effect  upon  the  injured 
man.  There  was  something  he  could  do 
at  once,  and  he  was  going  to  do  it.  He 
called  the  doctor  in  the  next  day  and 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      277 

asked  if  he  could  not  be  moved  to  his 
home  on  a  stretcher.  The  doctor  shook 
his  head  at  the  first  suggestion,  but  a 
stretcher — it  might  possibly  be  managed. 

"Are  you  tired  of  us?"  asked  Dr.  Mur- 
ton  kindly. 

The  Colonel  turned  his  head  a  moment, 
then  with  a  touch  of  sternness,  he  said,  "I 
have  not  always  cared  whether  I  did  what 
I  should.  I  ought  to  be  encouraged 
when  I  make  a  self-evident  proposition 
in  the  right  direction." 

"No  one  is  anxious  to  see  you  go,  Col- 
onel," the  doctor  assured  with  renewed 
kindness. 

"Thank  you,"  returned  the  Colonel. 
"Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  make  ar- 
rangements for  my  removal  to-mor- 
row?" 

"If  you  wish  it,  certainly,"  replied  the 
doctor. 


278  Anne's  Wedding 

When  the  news  of  his  intention  was 
made  known,  the  entire  family,  with  gen- 
uine old-time  Southern  hospitality,  urged 
him  to  stay  till  the  broken  hip  was  more 
surely  knitted  together.  Anne  joined  in 
with  reckless  insistence,  considering  only 
one  necklace  was  entirely  finished,  and 
table  supplies  were  not  diminishing  any 
in  cost.  She  had  realized  to  some  extent 
that  the  clinging  to  her  of  the  strong  man 
in  his  hours  of  suffering  and  weakness 
had  bound  her  to  him  in  spite  of  previous 
circumstances  and  that  this  had  been 
strengthened  by  her  bit  of  confidence,  but 
she  did  not  know  how  true  the  new  tie 
was  until  she  thought  of  his  leaving. 
Who  was  there  to  care  for  him  as  they  had 
done?  And,  oh — would  he  go  back  to 
dreadful  words  and  iron  authority?  She 
couldn't  bear  to  think  of  his  doing  that! 
She  begged  him  to  stay  when  the  rest  had 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      279 

left  the  room  and  she  had  a  moment  with 
him  alone. 

"I  must  go,"  he  answered  firmly,  with 
new  strength  in  his  really  fine  face,  "be- 
cause it  is  right  that  I  should.  But  what 
has  come  to  me  here  will  not  be  lost,  little 

girl." 

So  softly  the  last  was  said  she  hardly 
heard  it,  but  somehow  it  made  her  more 
reconciled. 

Everything  was  ready  for  the  removal 
and  the  men  to  carry  the  stretcher  stand- 
ing in  the  hall,  when  one  of  them  who  had 
come  from  the  Colonel's  place,  remem- 
bered a  letter  he  had  brought  over  and 
handed  it  to  Anne  as  she  was  going  in  the 
Colonel's  room  with  some  necessary  ar- 
ticle for  comfort  on  the  trip. 

The  Colonel,  lying  in  a  nervous  tension, 
waiting  for  the  start,  took  the  letter  from 
her  and  hastily  tore  it  open.  His  face 


280  Anne's  Wedding 

blanched  with  surprise  as  he  grasped  its 
import,  and  then  the  color  surged  from 
neck  to  brow  as  though  he  had  been  a 
young  man.  He  opened  his  lips,  about  to 
exclaim,  "I  am  not  going!  I  shall  stay 
right  here!"  But  a  second  thought,  and 
the  color  receded  ag?in,  while  he  put  his 
lips  tightly  together  and  his  clenched 
hand  crushed  the  letter  which  it  held. 

No  one  noticed  this,  for  all  were  busy 
with  some  detail  of  preparation,  but  when 
he  had  been  carefully  moved  to  the 
stretcher  and  steadily  borne  down  the 
stairs  to  pause  a  moment  while  everybody 
said  good-by  to  him,  Anne  caught  a  gleam 
in  his  eye  that  set  her  to  wondering  and 
which  comforted  her  still  further  as  he 
was  borne  away  from  the  house. 

"My  goodness !"  cried  Cahaba ;  "it's  just 
like  a  funeral!"  And  tardy  repentance 
of  her  hardness  of  heart  all  the  time  the 


Strenuous  Things  for  Anne      281 

Colonel  had  been  there,  together  with  a 
superstitious  dread  of  anything  like  death, 
sent  her  feet  flying  to  the  rear  of  the 
house  with  an  apron-covered  head. 

There  was  a  subdued  feeling  in  the  en- 
tire household  when  the  family  turned 
back  to  go  about  their  several  ways,  but 
many  things  waited  to  be  done — things 
which  had  been  neglected  in  the  stress  of 
the  past  weeks,  with  the  injured  man  to 
care  for  and  Mrs.  Carter  under  orders. 
She  was  quite  herself  again  now,  how- 
ever, and  a  letter  from  Mr.  Carter  prom- 
ised that  he  would  be  there  very  soon. 
His  letters  had  been  brief,  and  they  did 
not  know  what  to  expect  from  his  trip, 
but  it  was  good  to  think  he  would  be  with 
them  once  more. 

As  for  Anne,  she  must  work  on  china- 
berry  necklaces  every  minute  now,  and  she 
was  all  enthusiasm  since  the  one  she  had 


282  Anne's  Wedding 

finished  was  so  beautiful  that  Murton 
Grey  had  said  he  would  take  one  for  his 
sweetheart,  after  all,  and  Cahaba  begged 
for  one  for  Christmas!  If  Northern 
folks  proved  half  so  pleased  as  Southern- 
ers who  knew  all  about  the  "smelly" 
source  from  which  they  had  evoluted, 
why  she  would  simply  coin  money — and 
maybe  there  might  yet  be  wedding  finery 
not  too  far  in  the  distance! 


CHAPTER  XIV 

HAPPINESS  DAWNS 


MR.  CARTER  and  Willard  Griffith 
on  their  trip  up  to  the  coal  and  iron  region 
of  the  mountains  of  Alabama  had  talked 
constantly  together,  and  without  knowing 
how  much  hinged  on  a  convincing  state- 
ment of  the  need  of  a  third  man  at  the 
plant,  on  a  salary  perhaps,  Willard  had 
made  this  point  very  clear;  and  further- 
more, when  they  reached  the  mines  and 
furnace,  Mr.  Carter  could  easily  see  for 
himself  that  it  was  imperatively  necessary, 
if  things  were  to  be  done  in  the  orderly 
fashion  required  for  business  success. 

283 


284  Anne's  Wedding 

Then  came  a  battle  with  himself  and  his 
pride.  If  there  was  a  position  open  to 
him  here,  why  should  he  not  take  it? 
But  he  had  never  been  a  hireling!  Sup- 
pose he  had  not — in  his  independent  busi- 
ness he  had  made  a  serious  mistake — he 
had  obligated  himself  for  an  amount 
which  he  could  not  meet  with  justice  to 
himself  and  his  family  in  his  old-time 
Southern  pride  which  prompted  free, 
open-handedness  in  dealing  with  friends, 
and  did  not  always  consider  justice  and 
right.  Yes,  he  had  seen  this  error  very 
plainly  in  the  past  few  months,  and  now 
he  must  go  a  step  farther  and  recognize 
that  he  was  not  independent  any  longer; 
he  must  take  what  he  could  get  to  do,  and 
accept  a  pay  envelope  if  it  was  honestly 
earned.  Reaching  this  conclusion  finally, 
he  held  his  head  high  in  conscious  in- 
tegrity and  turned  to  the  work  before  him. 


Happiness  Dawns  285 

At  once  there  was  a  different  quality  in 
his  attitude  of  mind  toward  the  investiga- 
tion at  hand ;  not  that  his  work  was  going 
to  be  in  the  least  more  conscientious  with 
the  personal  part  in  possibility  for  him, 
but  there  was  the  inevitable  reaching  out 
for  each  detail  which  would  be  required 
of  him  to  know,  should  he  take  a  position 
there;  and,  with  every  incentive  alive,  he 
was  alert  physically  and  mentally,  with  a 
complete  transformation  in  his  personal 
appearance  at  the  end  of  the  trip,  which 
had  included  a  visit  East  to  see  the  expert 
who  had  recently  examined  the  Griffith 
plant  and  a  looking  into  the  older  coal 
and  iron  activities  in  Pennsylvania. 

So,  about  a  week  after  Colonel  Thomp- 
son had  left  them,  Anne  and  Gene  saw 
their  father's  tall  figure  coming  with 
quick,  elastic  step  up  the  front  walk  on 
the  evening  of  his  return,  and  they  did 


286  Anne's  Wedding 

not  need  to  be  told  that  the  trip  had  been 
successful. 

The  household  had  fallen  into  dullness 
after  the  Colonel  left  and  the  two  girls 
were  standing  on  the  long  front  porch, 
having  just  come  in  from  a  walk  and 
lingered  inertly  a  moment.  But  taking 
in  the  significance  of  that  spirited  stride, 
they  turned  involuntarily  to  one  another 
and  hugged  rapturously,  after  the  manner 
of  girls,  then  rushed  gayly  down  to  meet 
him  and  brought  him  up  the  steps,  one  on 
either  side. 

The  animated  trio,  with  the  glad  cry  of 
"Father's  come,"  from  the  happy  body- 
guards, announced  the  news  to  the  entire 
household,  and  there  were  glad  greetings 
on  every  hand.  The  atmosphere  of  the 
house  underwent  a  swift,  electrical 
change,  and  Murton  Grey,  who  had  never 
taken  family  changes  with  any  seriousness 


Happiness  Dawns  287 

of  heart,  and  did  not  now  in  the  least  com- 
prehend what  the  present  illumination  of 
family  spirit  meant,  was  yet  conscious  of 
the  transforming  electrical  flash  and  let 
off  some  of  his  answering  exuberance  by 
climbing  to  the  low  sloping  roof  of  the 
Blossom  Shop  porch  after  supper  and 
jumping  off — a  thing  he  had  long  wanted 
to  do,  but  hadn't  quite  dared — then  call- 
ing to  the  entire  family  to  come  and  see 
him  do  it — whereupon  that  part  of  the 
celebration  was  instantly  terminated. 

The  older  folks  at  last  settled  down  to 
hear  of  the  business  side  of  the  trip,  hav- 
ing listened  during  supper  to  an  interest- 
ing account  of  mountain  conditions  in 
general,  as  seen  from  Mr.  Carter's  point 
of  view,  while  from  their  side  came  the 
interesting  and  amazing  story  of  how  Col- 
onel Thompson  had  been  thrown  helpless 
at  their  very  door  almost,  and  more  amaz- 


288  Anne's  Wedding 

ing  still,  how  they  had  all  become  very 
fond  of  him,  which  story  had  only  been 
given  him  very  meagerly  by  letter.  Mr. 
Carter  listened  with  palpable  constraint, 
it  being  impossible  for  him,  without  con- 
tact with  the  suffering  and  helpless  Col- 
onel, which  had  been  their  portion,  to  feel 
any  appreciable  change  of  heart,  and  the 
story  lost  much  of  its  warmth  under  his 
constrained  listening.  Dr.  Murton  who 
was  still  there,  waiting  somewhat  im- 
patiently for  the  outcome  of  this  trip,  soon 
switched  the  conversation  back  to  the 
mountain  interest,  however,  and  Mr.  Car- 
ter dropped  his  constraint  while  he  told 
them  that  he  considered  the  outlook  of  the 
Griffith  mining  and  pig  iron  furnace  ven- 
ture most  promising;  he  liked  the  two 
young  men  exceedingly;  they  were  gentle- 
manly, strictly  upright,  and  had  a  good 
grasp  of  the  technicalities  of  the  business, 


Happiness  Dawns  289 

which,  combined  with  energy,  ought  to 
bring  success — provided  their  capital 
could  be  increased.  This  was  sorely 
needed,  and  an  additional  man,  for  they 
could  not  well  handle  the  financial  as  well 
as  the  more  active  side  of  the  work. 

The  spirits  of  the  entire  family  rose  to 
new  heights  at  this,  for  all  felt  that  the 
matter  was  practically  settled;  Mr.  Car- 
ter would  go  into  the  business  with  the 
Griffith  boys,  as  they  called  them,  while 
Aunt  Martha  and  Gene  furnished  new 
capital,    and — Professor    Vernon's    land 
could   be  bought,   Anne   and   Gene  ex- 
claimed   joyfully   to   each    other   while 
May's  eyes  revealed  her  pleasure.     All 
this  was  in  truth  the  outcome.     In  fact 
Mr.  Carter  went  the  following  morning 
at  once  to  the  work  of  arranging  business 
details,  and  for  the  next  few  days  was 
busily  engaged  straightening  out  his  af- 


290  Anne's  Wedding 

fairs  preparatory  to  closing  the  office  in 
the  little  town  which  he  had  held  so  long. 

Following  a  law  that  good  fortune  as 
well  as  evil,  has  a  way  of  fluttering  in 
upon  us  in  flocks,  on  one  of  these  days, 
as  Mr.  Carter  sat  in  the  morning  at  his 
desk  looking  over  papers,  a  messenger 
came  in  with  a  note.  Opening  it  he 
found  Colonel  Thompson's  signature. 
There  was  instant  tightening  of  his  lips; 
but  he  read  it  through,  supposing  it  to  be 
possibly  a  note  of  thanks — the  old  repro- 
bate would  be  decent  enough  for  that  he 
supposed — though  none  of  his  thanks 
were  wanted.  The  note  was  exceedingly 
brief,  however,  only  one  line,  in  fact,  sim- 
ply requesting  that  Mr.  Carter  would  call 
at  once  upon  the  writer,  if  possible  to  do 
so. 

To  the  tightened  lips  were  added  a  dis- 
tinct frown  between  Mr.  Carter's  stern 


Happiness  Dawns  291 

eyes.  This  was  too  much — to  be  asked  to 
go  and  hear  the  man's  weak  palaver  about 
what  had  been  done  for  him  from  the 
most  elemental  humanitarian  motive  on 
the  part  of  the  Carter  household.  He 
turned  to  the  messenger — a  tall,  black 
negro : 

"Tell  the  Colonel,  please,  that  it  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  go  to  him;  I  am  ex- 
ceedingly busy  with  matters  of  great  im- 
portance." 

The  negro  looked  instant  alarm. 
"Boss,"  he  said,  "I  was  to  bring  yer,  an' 
I  got  the  rig  outside  waiting." 

"Can't  help  that,"  said  Mr.  Carter, 
firmly. 

"Look  here,  marster — "  the  darkey's 
voice  was  almost  pleading,  "he  said  he 
just  had  ter  see  yer — an'  I  tell  yer  he's  a 
new  man  sense  he  got  that  hurt — an'  he 
said  he  would  not  keep  you  a  minute." 


292  Anne's  Wedding 

This  was  a  decided  exaggeration,  but  no 
matter. 

It  so  happened  that  Anne  and  Gene 
walked  in  the  office  just  in  time  to  hear 
this  bit  of  conversation  and  the  impulsive 
Anne  at  this  point  put  her  arms  about  her 
father's  neck.  "Do  go,  father,"  she 
pleaded  in  a  whisper. 

He  was  on  the  point  of  putting  her 
arms  off  and  refusing  with  final  energy, 
but  a  bit  of  moisture  in  the  earnest  young 
eyes  turned  the  scale,  and  with  firm-set 
lips  he  put  on  his  hat  and  went  with  the 
waiting  darkey. 

Anne  and  Gene  watched  them  start  off 
with  great  interest  and  sat  down  to  take 
care  of  the  office  till  his  return. 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad,"  cried  Anne  as  soon 
as  she  could,  "for  now  they  will  certainly 
make  friends  as  the  rest  of  us  have — and 
I  don't  want  ever  again  to  come  as  near 


Happiness  Dawns  293 

hating  anybody  as  we  did  the  Colonel,  so 
long  as  I  live!  How  much  happier  we 
all  are  now  that  we  love  him  instead! 
That  sounds  awful  'good,'  I  know,  but  it 
is  true,"  she  ended  with  a  laugh. 

Gene  laughed  in  turn,  "I  confess  I  don't 
love  him  as  much  as  you  do,  Anne — you 
always  do  things  on  the  wholesale  plan, 
you  know — but  I  don't  hate  him  any  more, 
as  you  say,  and  I  am  so  happy  about 
everything  since  father  is  going  into  busi- 
ness up  in  the  mountains  and  let  me  fur- 
nish some  of  the  capital,  that  I  can  be 
glad,  too,  that  he  has  gone  to  see  the  Col- 
onel— and  maybe — who  knows  ?  He  may 
have  something  nice  to  tell  father, — may 
have  some  money  or  something?" 

Gene  was  indeed  growing  very  opti- 
mistic, and  they  had  all  come  to  know  that 
she  had  a  bit  of  psychic  intuition,  not  un- 
usual in  those  who  have  known  blindness. 


294  Anne's  Wedding 

Anne  laughed  back  and  said  teasingly: 
"You  are  always  seeing  promising  little 
yellow  boys  and  girls  climbing  the  sunset 
bars,  like  Emily  Dickinson's  little  poem 
you  were  brought  up  on,  you  know.  I 
don't  ever  expect  anything  from  the  Colo- 
nel, but  I  do  want  all  of  us  to  stop  hat- 
ing him." 

Meantime  Mr.  Carter  was  making  his 
way  to  the  Colonel's  home,  a  mile  from 
town  below  the  Carter  place. 

He  was  ushered  into  an  old-fashioned, 
well-furnished  but  poorly  kept  room 
where  the  Colonel  lay  on  his  bed,  and  the 
fine  face  lit  up  at  Mr.  Carter's  approach 
in  a  way  that  was  hard  to  resist,  especially 
for  a  man  with  a  fresh  reinforcement 
of  hope  and  courage  as  he  greeted  one 
stricken  with  helplessness. 

They  clasped  hands  with  a  touch  of 
cordiality. 


Happiness  Dawns  295 

"You  were  very  good  indeed  to  come 
to  me,"  began  the  Colonel  warmly;  "I  am 
afraid  I  would  not  have  been  so  generous 
in  your  place."  Then  he  hurried  on  to 
prevent  any  constraint:  "I  have  such 
good  news  that  I  had  to  see  you  at  once 
when  I  heard  of  your  return.  It  came  to 
me,  like  all  other  good  things,  under  your 
roof — just  as  I  was  on  the  point  of  leav- 
ing," he  smiled  in  pleased  recollection, 
"and  I  confess  that  I  was  almost  weak 
enough  to  send  the  boys  and  the  stretcher 
away  and  stay  there!  But  I  knew  I  had 
not  the  right  if  I  could  pay  for  it  a  thou- 
sand times  over — which  you  and  your 
folks  would  never  let  me  do — and  I  was 
able  to  go,  so  I  pulled  myself  together  and 
came  home,  as  I  should." 

Then,  with  fresh  energy:  "Not  to 
waste  a  moment  of  your  time,  Mr.  Car- 
ter, I  will  proceed  to  the  business  in  hand, 


296  Anne's  Wedding 

and  say  at  once  that  my  affairs  have  taken 
a  sudden  turn  and  I  am  quite  prepared  to 
refund  the  amount  you — er — advanced 
to  me,  in  full,  with  ten  per  cent  inter- 


est." 


Mr.  Carter,  amazed  as  he  had  never 
been  in  his  life  before,  had  not  passed 
through  the  mill  of  misfortune  and  strug- 
gle the  past  few  months  for  naught,  and 
he  bowed  his  head  with  fine  control. 

After  a  moment's  pause  the  Colonel  be- 
gan again.  "Once  I  would  not  have 
cared  a — well,  I  won't  say  it — what  you 
thought  of  me,  but  that  little  Anne  of 
yours — well,  she  has  changed  things  for 
me.  It  began  before  my  hurt,  when  she 
met  me  always  with  unfailing  smiles. 
That  was  hard  to  stand — I  knew  about  her 
delayed  wedding,  too — and  I  made  up  my 
mind  then,  if  ever  I  was  able,  you  should 
have  back  every  penny  that  you  had  lost 


Happiness  Dawns  297 

through  me!  I  cannot  talk  about  all  that 
has  happened  since,"  he  ended,  and 
turned  his  head  away  as  he  said  it. 

Going  back  again  to  direct  speech,  he 
went  on :  "Now  I  want  you  to  know  that 
I  greatly  deplore  your  being  involved  in 
my  affairs,  and  it  was  wholly  unexpected 
to  me.  I  had  put  practically  everything 
I  had  in  a  Western  venture  about  which 
this  little  town  knew  nothing.  It  prom- 
ised immediate  and  large  returns,  but 
there  was  a  hitch — I  had  to  meet  that  note 
—and  for  a  time  it  looked  as  though 
everything  had  gone  to  pieces.  The  little 
I  retained  was  absolutely  necessary  for 
the  care  of  my  helpless  sister.  But  a  few 
weeks  ago  I  began  to  be  more  hopeful, 
and  the  day  I  left  your  house  came  a  let- 
ter with  full  assurance  of  success.  I  am 
prepared  now,  as  I  say,  to  return  every 
penny  of  yours  with  interest,  and  I  hope 


298  Anne's  Wedding 

you  will  believe  me  when  I  say  that  noth- 
ing could  make  me  happier." 

Mr.  Carter  extended  his  hand  and  the 
two  men  gripped  one  another. 

"Colonel,  you  should  have  told  me  this 
at  the  time.  I  would  have  felt  very  dif- 
ferently toward  you." 

"Infernal  pride,"  replied  the  Colonel 
grimly,  "and  I  confess  that  the  fact  I  had 
wronged  you  made  me  hate  you  so- 
strange  phenomenon  that,  but  it  is  true — 
that  I  doubt  if  I  had  ever  returned  a  cent 
to  you  if  it  had  not  been  for  those  smiles 
of  your  Anne  which  had  made  me  deter- 
mine before  the  hurt  to  do  so.  She  is  a 
rare  girl,  Mr.  Carter." 

When  he  returned  to  the  waiting  girls 
at  the  office,  Mr.  Carter  made  no  report 
of  his  visit  to  them,  for  he  felt  that  he 
must  tell  his  wife  first;  but  Anne  looked 


Happiness  Dawns  299 

wonderingly  at  something  new  she  saw  in 
his  face,  and  said  happily  to  Gene  on  the 
way  home:  "I  am  sure  everything  went 
well  between  father  and  the  Colonel, 
though  father  never  said  a  word." 

It  was  afternoon  before  her  father  took 
her  alone  to  the  library  and  made  the 
happy  revelation.  The  story  was  too 
transcendently  beautiful  for  words! 
Anne  could  not  take  in  all  its  outreach- 
ing  possibilities  at  once.  While  she 
waited  breathlessly,  her  father  went  on 
with  a  very  tender  accent: 

"The  Colonel  says,  Anne,  that  your 
smiles  and  bright  greetings  to  him  did  the 
work  even  before  the  accident — and, 
knowing  about  the  postponed  wedding, 
too,  made  them  all  the  more  effective." 

A  moment  of  high  happiness  and  he 
added: 

"That  speech  of  Colonel  Thompson's 


300  Anne's  Wedding 

was  worth  more  to  me  than  the  money, 
daughter,  not  only  because  I  was  proud 
of  you  for  the  lovely  spirit  you  have 
shown  of  self-sacrifice,  and  good  cheer 
to  everybody,  not  even  excepting  our 
'enemy,'  but  because  it  was  worth  much 
to  me  as  a  vindication  of  your  mother's 
theory  that  resentment  does  not  pay,  on 
the  negative  side,  and  that  kindness  does 
—even  in  return  for  evil — on  the  positive 
side,  which  is  a  hard  lesson  for  men  to 
learn." 

Then  he  put  an  arm  about  her  and  said, 
"Those  wedding  plans  can  go  right  for- 
ward now,  daughter.  I  am  in  a  position 
to  arrange  everything." 

A  happier  girl  than  Anne  never  trod 
the  earth,  as  she  drank  in  this  warm  ap- 
preciation, and  realized  that  plans  for  her 
marriage  could  be  immediately  begun. 

"I  never  saw  anything  so  fruitful  as 


Happiness  Dawns  301 

pine  needles,  china-berries,  and  chinca- 
pins,"  she  declared  gayly  to  her  mother, 
Aunt  Martha  and  Gene  as  they  talked 
about  it  together  a  little  later.  "You  only 
just  have  to  think  about  them,  seeing  them 
transformed  into  charming  baskets  and 
necklaces  and  gold  coin  in  your  mind's 
eye,  when  lo!  a  second  transformation 
takes  place  immediately,  and  there  are 
silks  and  satins — and  crowns!" 

Anne's  clear  soprano  promptly  re- 
turned to  glorias  with  new  high  notes  of 
joy,  and  such  happy  times  they  had  plan- 
ning all  the  wedding  details,  again,  with 
great  merriment  over  Cahaba's  crowns, 
which  were  always  a  vital  part  of  it  now. 
But  this,  of  course,  was  after  Anne's  let- 
ter had  gone  to  Donald,  setting  the  new 
wedding  date  for  Thanksgiving!  Then, 
while  they  planned,  she  followed  that 
happy  letter  over  every  bounding  ocean 


302  Anne's  Wedding 

wave  till  it  lay  in  his  hand  on  the  other 
side.  How  she  ever  waited  for  his  reply 
is  a  mystery  to  the  household  to  this  good 
day.  Uncle  Doctor  had  great  fun  over 
the  progress  of  both  letters  till  he,  Aunt 
Martha  and  Gene  left  for  the  East;  the 
doctor  and  Gene  to  look  after  some  mat- 
ters concerning  Gene's  sanatorium  for 
blind  children,  and  Aunt  Martha  to  at- 
tend to  household  things.  Then  she  and 
Gene  would  join  Mrs.  Carter  and  Anne  in 
New  York  a  little  later  for  that  much 
delayed  shopping. 

Cahaba  was  quite  alive  to  the  changes 
going  on  in  the  household,  and,  one  morn- 
ing, Mandy,  her  mother,  was  in  her  old 
place  as  cook,  without  leave  or  bidding, 
the  housemaid  who  had  served  them  was 
at  the  door  ready  to  take  her  place  again, 
and  Cahaba,  herself,  became  chief  func- 
tionary of  many  things  as  of  old,  while 


Happiness  Dawns  303 

visions  grew  daily  for  herself  and  her 
hearers,  of  how  she  would  cross  the  ocean 
as  Miss  Anne's  maid,  and  see  the  wonder- 
ful things  that  she  longed,  with  her  alert 
mentality,  to  see.  Life  would  never  be 
dull  for  Cahaba;  she  was  preeminently 
resourceful,  and  grasped  every  visible  and 
invisible  opportunity  that  came  her  way. 

May  must  be  written  to,  and  Anne 
claimed  this  joyful  task.  When  she  told 
about  Colonel  Thompson's  restoration  of 
everything  their  father  had  lost  through 
him,  she  added,  "It  was  smiling  greetings 
that  did  it  mostly,  May,"  not  specifying 
that  the  effective  ones  were  declared  to  be 
from  Anne,  herself,  "and  mother  is 
proven  right  again,  as  she  usually  is. 

"Now,"  the  letter  went  on,  "the  wed- 
ding is  to  be  Thanksgiving — isn't  that  ap- 
propriate?— that  you  may  come  to  be  my 
maid  of  honor;  and  I  want  you  to  bring 


304  Anne's  Wedding 

that  delightful  Professor  Addison  Hum- 
phrey Vernon  as  one  of  our  groomsmen. 
Donald  and  I  settled  that  long  ago  when 
I  wrote  and  told  him  how  fine  the  pro- 
fessor is.  Donald  will  write  him,  of 
course,  but  I  thought  you  might  prepare 
the  way.  Another  groomsman  is  to  be 
that  splendid  Willard  Griffith  that  Gene 
found  in  the  mountains,  you  know,  who  is 
father's  partner  now.  He  has  been  here, 
we  were  all  delighted  with  him  and  I 
think  Gene  likes  him  better  than  anybody 
she  knows.  Then  the  third  will  be  his 
brother  George,  and  with  Murton  Grey 
these  are  all  I  want.  You  know  I  have  al- 
ways promised  Murton  Grey  that  if  he 
could  find  a  sweetheart  he  might  be  one 
of  our  attendants  and  he  declares  he  has 
found  one!" 

May  wrote  back,  happy  over  all  the 
good  news  Anne's  letter  held,  and  espe- 


Happiness  Dawns  305 

cially  that  the  wedding  was  so  near  a 
reality.  "As  for  President  Vernon,  how- 
ever," she  wrote,  "I  see  no  more  of  him 
than  would  the  merest  atom  in  the  uni- 
verse! We  are  at  faculty  meetings  to- 
gether, of  course,  as  during  last  year,  but 
aside  from  that  I  simply  get  bows  from 
him  in  passing  across  the  campus,  and 
possibly  a  bright  remark  on  that  excit- 
ing subject,  the  weather!  Fortunately,  I 
do  not  care  to  see  more  of  him,  how- 


ever." 


At  this  Anne  laughed  ringingly.  She 
was  indeed  a  remarkable  expert  in  affairs 
of  the  heart,  just  now. 

"That  was  the  way  it  was  with  Donald 
and  me  for  a  long  time,  once,"  she  de- 
clared to  herself.  "He  hardly  saw  me 
when  he  passed, — and  I  didn't  want  him 
to,  oh,  no !  Professor  Vernon  is  avoiding 
May  because  he,  an  unmarried  principal, 


306  Anne's  Wedding 

must  be  very  discreet — and  she  doesn't 
want  any  notice  from  him!" 

Anne  told  her  mother  about  this  part 
of  May's  letter  with  her  interpretation, 
and  Mrs.  Carter  replied  lovingly,  "Oh, 
Anne,  the  world  is  all  a  budding  or  blos- 
soming romance  for  you,  now." 

"I  guess  so,"  agreed  Anne  happily,  "but 
don't  you  think  Professor  Vernon  is  nice 
and  that  he  and  May  will  fall  in  love?" 

"The  first  part  I  will  agree  to — Pro- 
fessor Vernon  is  very  nice,  as  you  say,  in- 
deed, but  as  to  the  latter  part,  whether  he 
and  May  will  fall  in  love,  I  could  not 
venture  to  say.  Love  is  a  thing  about 
which  there  is  no  prophesying." 

Anne  looked  positively  disappointed  for 
a  fleeting  moment,  then  smiling,  she  said 
philosophically,  "Well,  I've  set  her  the 
example  I  should,  as  older  sister,  any- 
way." 


Happiness  Dawns  307 

Before  the  trip  North  for  her  "finery," 
as  Anne  always  put  it,  she  went  to  see  the 
.Colonel.  Not  that  this  was  her  first  visit 
— she  had  been  several  times  to  see  him 
since  he  left  them — but  this  was  a  visit  of 
rare  joy.  As  she  went  in,  her  face  aglow 
with  happiness  and  charm,  she  cried: 

"Colonel,  I've  come  to  tell  you  all  abcut 
my  wedding  finery  that  is  to  be  1" 

"Good!"  he  answered,  reaching  out 
both  hands  to  her  with  all  the  enthusiasm 
she  could  have  asked. 

Then  she  sat  down  beside  him  and  they 
talked  over  that  wedding  gown,  of  what 
it  was  to  be  evolved,  how  long  the  train 
was  to  sweep  the  floor  behind  her,  how 
the  wedding  veil  was  to  be  draped  and  all 
such  beautiful  and  thrilling  points.  It 
was  hard  to  tell  which  of  the  two  was  most 
interested.  After  all  the  years  of  starv- 
ing for  touch  with  the  sweeter  things  of 


308  Anne's  Wedding 

life,  the  Colonel  seemed  hungry  for  all  he 
could  get  in  the  feast  which  had  been 
spread  before  him  since  his  contact  with 
the  Carters. 

When  they  were  through  and  Anne  was 
leaving  with  many  good  wishes  for  the 
success  of  her  trip,  she  said,  smiling  as  he 
held  fast  to  one  hand  in  the  warmth  of  his 
good-by,  and  she  shook  a  finger  of  the 
other  emphatically,  "Now,  you  are  go- 
ing to  get  well  enough  to  come — mind, 
these  are  my  last  orders  and  must  be 
obeyed!" 

"I'll  be  there,  if  I  have  to  be  brought 
back  on  a  stretcher,"  he  assured  her. 

"No,  I  won't  have  that,"  she  laughed 
again;  "you  must  come  in  state  this  time, 
riding  in  a  carriage!" 

"Just  as  you  say,"  he  returned. 

Then  they  were  aboard  the  train  for 
New  York  going  after  that  most  fasci- 


Happiness  Dawns  309 

nating  thing  in  a  woman's  life,  her  wed- 
ding trousseau,  with  trees  and  houses  flit- 
ting by  in  gay  "How  d'ye  do,"  and  "We 
wish  you  well,"  as  they  rushed  past. 


CHAPTER  XV 

A  BLOSSOM  SHOP  WEDDING 

MOTHER,  I  don't  see  why  joy 
doesn't  kill  people,"  said  Anne,  some  three 
weeks  later,  with  a  touch  of  awe  in  her 
voice. 

The  shopping  was  over,  the  wedding 
raiment,  carefully  protected,  hung  in 
closets  or  lay  in  trunks  and  dresser 
drawers,  and  the  crowns  glistened  in 
imaginative  splendor  about  the  middle 
of  November. 

But  it  was  the  May-time  of  Anne's  life, 
and  each  day  came  the  unconscious  "Call 
me  early,  mother  dear,"  of  her  heart  that 

310 


A  Blossom  Shop  Wedding       311 

she  might  drink  in  every  precious  bit  of 
inner  sunshine  and  bloom.  They  could 
not  come  fast  enough — these  glorious 
days — for  each  one  brought  Donald 
nearer!  The  letters  had  ceased  their 
surging  back  and  forth  over  the  big  waters 
of  separation,  for  the  lover  himself  had 
boarded  an  ocean  liner,  and  each  foam- 
flecked  wave  was  bringing  him  nearer  and 
nearer. 

Then  he  had  landed  in  New  York  and 
slow-moving  messengers  were  cast  to  the 
four  winds  of  heaven.  A  telegram  sped 
on  hidden  rays  of  light  to  announce  to 
Anne  his  safe  arrival.  Still  another,  two 
days  later,  came  flashing  in  with  the  tid- 
ings that  a  couple  of  hours  more  would 
bring  him  to  her  side  I  It  was  then  that 
Anne  wondered  joy  did  not  kill ! 

She  was  so  much  alive,  however,  and  so 
scintillating  when  he  was  really  there, 


312  Anne's  Wedding 

that  it  is  all  quite  beyond  description  in 
ordinary  prose  style.  Cahaba,  with  her 
ready  tongue  and  dramatic  style,  could 
alone  do  it  justice. 

She  found  an  audience  in  the  rear  yard 
late  that  night,  through  the  gathering  in  of 
all  the  neighboring  cooks  and  housemaids, 
while  she  regaled  them  with  the  splendors 
of  the  young  Englishman's  first  evening  in 
the  home  of  his  affianced  bride. 

"You  should  have  seen  him  walk  into 
the  dining-room  for  supper.  Here's  the 
way  he  come,"  translating  description  into 
action  with  a  regal  gait.  Then  returning 
to  description:  "His  head  was  high,  and 
his  light,  waving  hair  stood  up  in  front 
just  like  it  was  reaching  for  its  crown- 
course  he  wouldn't  wear  it  here,  for  we 
don't  have  crowns  in  this  country — but  his 
hair  was  standing  up,  showing  how  used 
it  is  to  'em, — and  he  that  tall  and  splendid 


A  Blossom  Shop  Wedding       313 

and  smiling  you  can't  think  of  anything 
but  kings  and  princes!" 

Cahaba  never  could  get  away  from  roy- 
alty. 

The  audience  was  breathlessly  im- 
pressed, and,  hurrying  on,  she  next  por- 
trayed Anne.  "But,  I  tell  you,  Miss 
Anne  ain't  one  speck  behind  him,  though. 
She  was  like  a  queen  to-night,  if  ever  you 
saw  one"  (precarious  contingency)  ;  "she 
was  dressed  in  a  pink  organdy,  that  just 
floated  around  her  and  trailed  off  on  the 
floor  like  a  rosy  cloud";  and  Cahaba's 
lithe,  dusky  figure  paraded  about  the  rear 
yard  in  the  moonlight  with  a  long,  im- 
aginary train  in  moving  picture  real- 
ism. 

Stopping  again,  the  tale  went  on: 
"Her  hair  was  done  up  so  stylish  you 
would  think  her  head  had  just  stepped  out 
of  one  of  these  fashion  plates  right  onto 


314  Anne's  Wedding 

her  lovely  shoulders;  and  her  face,  why, 
it  jes'  fairly  hurt  your  eyes,  it  was  so  shin- 
ing! Em-e-m — e-e-m,"  in  a  sort  of 
rapturous  whining,  "you  jes'  ought  to  seen 
him  look  at  her!  His  eyes  was  jes'  glued 
to  her,  you  could  see  that,  but  he  was  so 
polite  and  grand  that  he  kep'  talking  to 
and  pretending  to  look  at  her  mother. 
It's  my  opinion  though,  that  he  did  it  be- 
cause, looking  at  her  sitting  at  the  head  of 
the  table,  he  could  see  Miss  Anne  setting 
beside  her,  for  he  ain't  only  human,  of 
course! 

"Then  he  talked  to  the  doctor  some,  and 
to  Mr.  Carter  and  Miss  Martha,  'cause 
quality  has  to  remember  they  are  quality, 
sweetheart  or  no  sweetheart, — and  he  was 
too  gracious  and  elegant  for  anything!" 
Here  the  reproduction  of  the  guest's  ele- 
gantly bowing  head  and  gesticulating 
hands  made  the  picture  most  realistic,  if 


A  Blossom  Shop   Wedding       315 

astonishing,  could  the  original  have  wit- 
nessed it. 

To  follow  Anne  and  Donald  visually 
the  day  after  his  arrival  would  be  to  catch 
glimpses  of  the  erect  figure  of  Cahaba's 
description  in  vigorous  yet  easy  carriage, 
his  ready  arm  touching  hers  as  they 
mounted  steps  or  passed  through  gates, 
his  look  bent  upon  her,  his  young  laugh 
ringing  out  now  and  then,  while  her  gray- 
blue  eyes  sparkled  with  the  spring  gleam 
of  life,  her  white  skirts  fluttered  in  the 
November  wind  and  her  light  feet  tripped 
joyously  beside  him  from  one  familiar 
spot  to  another:  among  the  shrubs  and 
flowers,  on  to  the  Blossom  Shop  and  on 
still  to  the  little  strip  of  woods  with  its 
swift-running  stream  which  had  been  the 
fairy  playground  of  their  youth;  to 
Mammy  Sue's  cabin  for  greeting  and  a 
word  about  Uncle  Sam  with  a  proud  ac- 


316  Anne's  Wedding 

count  of  his  imposing  funeral ;  and  then  to 
the  house  again,  and  to  the  parlor,  that  he 
might  hear  her  sing  after  the  long  separa- 
tion and  acclaim  maturity  of  certain  high 
soprano  notes  from  recent  practice  of 
those  glorias.  And  through  it  all  there 
was,  of  course,  the  sweet  communion  of 
youth  and  love,  the  tracing  of  many  invis- 
ible paths  which  had  led  to  the  present 
happy  fulfillment;  paths  which,  to  be 
sure,  had  all  been  traversed  by  letter,  but 
which  must  now  be  retraced  in  more  real- 
istic speech. 

Finally,  resting  at  last  upon  the  low 
parlor  window  seat,  facing  one  another 
and  the  autumn  scene  without,  Anne,  with 
smiling  enthusiasm,  summed  up  this  re- 
viewing of  the  past  few  months  of  hope 
and  discouragement,  effort  and  fruition, 
with: 

"I  think  it  is  perfectly  wonderful  about 


A  Blossom  Shop  Wedding       317 

this  wedding  and  wedding  party  of  ours! 
First  we  were  making  beautiful  plans  for 
ourselves,  but  in  a  commonplace  way,  and 
lo!  there  was  sudden  black  calamity  and 
no  wedding  possible,  with  May  sorrow- 
fully  on   the    road   home    from   school! 
Then,  on  the  train  with  her  was  the  funny 
little  old  French  woman  who  just  laid 
hold  of   Professor  Vernon — figuratively 
speaking — and  brought  him  into  our  wed- 
ding party.     Next,  there  was  the  big  tot- 
tering iron  furnace  sending  out  a  possible 
last  brilliant  'run'  which  brought  in  Wil- 
lard  and  George  Griffith — and  you  will 
like  all  three  of  these  men  immensely,  I 
am  sure.    The  wedding  finery  for  the 
dim  future  was  coming  slowly  along  by 
the  pine  needle,  china-berry,  chincapin 
and  flower  route,  when  it  was  suddenly 
overtaken  by  some  smiles  and  a  dreadful 
accident  which  ushered  in  good  things  for 


318  Anne's  Wedding 

Colonel  Thompson  and  father — and 
brought  to  us  finery  and  wedding,  all  in 
sudden,  happy  whirlwind — and  perhaps 
some  of  the  bills  will  finally  be  paid  by 
iron  ore  dug  from  the  far  interior  of  the 
earth!" 

"Well,  don't  you  know,"  said  Donald, 
bending  his  kindling  gaze  upon  her,  "that 
the  most  precious  and  costly  thing  in  the 
world,  the  diamond,  is  dug  from  the  earth 
with  great  processes  of  skill  and  labor— 
and—  '  the  rest  was  unspoken,  but  Anne 
was  able  to  translate  a  comparison  too 
gleaming  for  speech. 

"Oh,  it  is  an  infinitely  happier  wedding 
than  it  would  have  been  as  first  planned," 
the  girl  said  softly  at  last,  turning  with 
mist-dimmed  eyes  to  the  quiet  scene 
without.  "Waiting  proves  to  be  a  won- 
derful thing  sometimes — if  we  just  re- 
member that  it  may,  and  be  happy  and 


A  Blossom  Shop  Wedding       319 

busy  while  we  wait.  We  might  have  had 
others  for  our  bridal  party,  of  course,— 
young  men  we  have  grown  up  with  and 
like — but  the  past  few  months  have  broad- 
ened our  horizon  in  a  surprising  way, 
making  life  seem  to  mean  more  to  us  than 
ever  before,  and  Professor  Vernon  and  the 
Griffiths  have  had  part  in  our  struggle, 
they  touched  our  lives  in  the  thick  of 
battle,  and  mean  so  much  more  to  us." 

"That  is  all  true,  and  everything  has 
turned  out  as  happily  as  possible — but, 
battle  in  a  Blossom  Shop,  Anne,  what  an 
incongruity!"  laughed  Donald  from  the 
glad  security  of  the  present. 

"Yes,"  returned  Anne,  sudden  wonder 
in  her  eyes,  "so  it  is, — yet  the  world  is  full 
of  flowers  everywhere  and  they  do  not 
prevent  war,  so  there  must  be  battles — for 
the  right  even  in  Blossom  Shops,  I  sup- 
pose," 


320  Anne's  Wedding 

"We  must  try  to  remember  that  when 
we  set  up  ours  in  old  England,"  said  Don- 
ald in  turn  with  a  quick  touch  of  serious- 
ness— all  in  the  flicker  of  grave  and  gay 
which  marks  young  joy. 

Then,  going  still  from  one  point  of  in- 
terest to  another,  Anne  laughingly  told 
him  of  Cahaba's  imaginings  concerning 
them  to  which  she  had  listened  some 
months  before. 

"Why,  Donald,  do  you  know,  Cahaba 
has  gotten  every  negro  in  this  town  to  be- 
lieving that  you  and  I  are  to  sit  on  thrones 
in  England,  and  wear  crowns  every  day!" 

Donald  laughed  in  his  hearty  English 
way.  "She's  the  same  Cahaba  I  remem- 
ber so  jolly  well!  Education  has  not 
toned  her  down.  I  was  afraid  it  would, 
and  she's  too  delicious  to  be  spoiled! 

"See  here,  Anne,"  he  said,  turning  to 
her  with  sudden  and  unforestalled  in- 


A  Blossom  Shop  Wedding       321 

spiration,  as  he  thought,  "can't  we  take 
her  with  us?     You  will  need  a  maid!" 

Anne  laughed  in  return.  "That  is  just 
what  she  wants  us  to  do!  In  fact  she  has 
been  counting  on  it  as  a  certainty,  but  I 
would  not  write  you  for  I  thought  we 
could  better  talk  it  over,  and  I  have  never 
encouraged  her  in  the  least.  She  would 
make  an  excellent  one,  however,  for  she 
has  natural  gifts  that  would  fit  her  well 
for  the  place." 

"Why,  certainly  she  must  go;  we  will 
settle  that  at  once!" 

"Are  you  sure  she  will  be  acceptable  to 
the  other  servants,  Donald?  I  don't  want 
your  consideration  for  me,  nor  your  par- 
tiality for  Cahaba,"  she  laughingly  added, 
"to  bias  your  judgment." 

"That  will  be  absolutely  all  right  in 
England.  The  others  will  enjoy  her— 
and  they  do  not  feel  about  colored  people 


322  Anne's  Wedding 

as  we  do  here.  Then,  think  what  an  asset 
she  will  be  as  a  booster!  With  her  to 
keep  our  aspirations  up — crowns  always 
in  view — I  will  be  in  Parliament,  at  least, 
by  the  end  of  a  year !" 

"Oh,   would   you    like   to   be   there— 
ever?"  Anne  asked  wistfully — at  a  quick, 
haunting  thought  of  how  life  might  take 
him  from  her,  with  its  myriad  activities. 

Donald  was  silent  a  moment.  "I  think 
I  would — and  with  you  to  help  me  I  shall 
try  to  be  all  that  my  mother  dreamed  for 
me,"  he  ended,  with  swift  appeal  in  the 
eyes  he  bent  upon  her. 

Anne's  vision  suddenly  opened  to  the 
highest  possibilities  of  her  wifehood,  and 
the  vow  of  a  true  helpmate  was  softly 
registered  in  her  heart. 

To  win  Murton  Grey  was  a  distinct  task 
for  the  prospective  brother-in-law.  Un- 
like Cahaba,  there  was  no  capacity  in 


A  Blossom  Shop  Wedding      323 

which  he  could  go  along  with  Anne — and 
considering  every  point  of  view,  it  was  not 
entirely  desirable — unless  father  and 
mother,  May  and  Gene,  could  go  along 
too,  though  this  drawback  was,  of  course, 
not  made  public.  It  was  simply  a  little 
tether  for  the  heart  which  holds  boys  in- 
visibly from  many  things.  How  good 
comradeship  could  ever  have  been  estab- 
lished between  the  two  without  Donald's 
fine  dog  kennels — in  which  his  faithful 
boyhood  friend,  old  Rex,  was  king — com- 
bined with  fascinating  tales  of  England 
and  the  dogs  in  the  hunting  season,  it  is 
hard  to  say.  But  it  was  successfully  ac- 
complished with  these  accessories,  and  a 
visit  to  the  kennels  was  thereafter  the  goal 
of  the  boy's  desires. 

The  date  of  the  wedding  came  on  apace, 
with  busy  preparations  filling  each  day 
and  tender  hearts  watching  the  bride-to-be 


324  Anne's  Wedding 

as  she  flitted  about  helpfully  till  the  last 
moment. 

May  and  Professor  Addison  Hum- 
phrey Vernon  came  in  on  the  same  train, 
having  left  the  moment  Thanksgiving 
holidays  began  at  Addison  College.  The 
professor,  with  the  smiling  corner  of  his 
mouth  entirely  conquering  the  unsmiling, 
seemed  very  courteous  and  attentive,  to 
the  observing  Anne,  as  the  two  arrived,— 
quite  as  though  he  might  have  been  travel" 
ing  with  something  more  than  "the  merest 
atom  in  the  universe." 

Mr.  Carter,  with  Willard  and  George 
Griffith,  arrived  on  the  last  train  before 
the  ceremony,  for  they  could  not  afford 
much  time  from  the  affairs  of  the  furnace, 
and  it  was  astonishing  to  see  the  increased 
vigor  and  alertness  in  every  move  of  Mr. 
Carter,  while  the  Messrs.  Griffith  de- 
lighted all  with  their  ready  courtesy  and 


A  Blossom  Shop  Wedding       325 

frank,  fine  faces.  Uncle  Doctor,  Aunt 
Martha  and  Gene,  already  arrived,  were 
in  the  group  who  met  them  at  the  door, 
and  Anne  did  not  fail  to  note  also  the 
quick  flush  on  Gene's  delicate  cheek  as  she 
greeted  Willard  Griffith,  nor  the  light  in 
his  eye  as  he  responded. 

"Mother,  did  you  notice?"  she  whis- 
pered at  the  first  opportunity,  and  the 
mother  replied  from  her  maturer  expe- 
rience again: 

"Ah,  Anne — romance  expert — there's 
never  any  telling  about  these  things!" 

Then  the  wedding  was  at  hand  with 
chrysanthemums  in  their  glory,  no  heavy 
frost  having  as  yet  fallen  and  myriads  of 
the  white  blossoms  made  fragrant  altar  of- 
fering, while  rose  vines,  still  in  abundant 
leaf  climbing  the  porch  roof  were  inter- 
twined at  the  last  moment  with  chrys- 
anthemums of  all  colors,  making  a  cover- 


326  Anne's  Wedding 

let  which  the  fairies  might  have  woven  in 
preparation  of  the  Blossom  Shop  mar- 
riage chapel — for  here  the  weddings  of 
the  family  must  always  be,  had  long  been 
positively  settled — and  that  Anne's  was 
distinctly  a  floral  wedding,  goes  without 
saying. 

Mammy  Sue's  trembling  old  fingers 
pinned  on  the  bridal  veil  which  had  been 
Anne's  mother's,  while  the  sweet  picture 
of  that  mother  who  had  slipped  away  in 
her  youth  hung  in  its  accustomed  place 
about  the  girl's  neck;  and  the  bit  of  blue, 
which  the  bride  must  wear,  was  a  tiny 
china-berry  blue-colored  bead  in  the  cen- 
ter of  each  rosette  on  her  white  satin  slip- 
pers! 

Around  Anne's  throat  was  a  string  of 
exquisitely  matched  pearls,  the  gift  of 
Colonel  Thompson.  Donald  said  he  was 
almost  jealous  of  them,  but  Anne  replied: 


A  Blossom  Shop  Wedding       327 

"They  will  always  be  to  me  a  symbol  of 
the  most  beautiful  thing  in  the  world, 
Donald, — Love.  Love  instead  of  hate! 
Love  to  everybody,  including  our  enemies, 
as  a  ruling  motive  in  life.  These  beauti- 
ful pearls  from  Colonel  Thompson  will 
never  let  me  forget  it." 

She  had  said  the  same  to  her  father  as 
his  lips  tightened  when  the  pearls  were 
first  held  up  for  him  to  see,  and  his  head 
began  an  emphatic  denial  of  Colonel 
Thompson's  right  to  make  such  a  gift. 
An  appealing  look  from  Mrs.  Carter  re- 
enforced  Anne's  declaration  and  he  re- 
strained himself  till  the  words,  "Love  in- 
stead of  hate,"  coming  again  and  again  to 
his  mind,  swept  away  the  last  of  his  resent- 
ful pride. 

Of  course  Colonel  Thompson  was  there 
for  the  ceremony,  immaculately  dressed 
in  wedding  garb,  though  in  a  wheel  chair, 


328  Anne's  Wedding 

as  this  seemed  safest  and  best  for  his  in- 
jured hip. 

Anne's  gleaming  white  gown — well,  it 
really  doesn't  matter  much  about  that— 
Cahaba  might  describe  it  if  she  were  not 
so  busy  helping  everywhere,  and  packing 
her  trunk  between  times  for  the  voyage 
with  Miss  Anne;  and  as  for  the  groom,  he 
was  even  sufficiently  fine  and  distin- 
guished-looking to  match  Cahaba's  pre- 
vious powers  of  portrayal. 

The  little  couple,  Murton  Grey  and  his 
small  sweetheart  in  brave  wedding  finery, 
led  the  bridal  procession,  strewing  flowers 
from  beautiful  baskets  as  they  went. 

There  were  three  lovely  bride's  maids; 
May  and  Gene  and  Margaret  Larson,  a 
girlhood  friend  of  Anne's  who  had  moved 
away  but  who  came  happily  back  for  the 
wedding  of  Anne  and  Donald ;  and,  in  the 
final  pairing  off,  lovely  Margaret  with 


A  Blossom  Shop  Wedding       329 

her  fairest  of  skin  and  auburn  hair,  was 
assigned  to  Professor  Addison  Humphrey 
Vernon,  May  to  Willard  Griffith  and 
Gene  to  the  fine  young  George  Griffith 
with  his  flaming  "sorrel  top,"  as  he  called 
it.  And  it  seemed  a  beautiful  arrange- 
ment, fitting  into  the  color  scheme  with 
rare  harmony  and  helping  to  make  the 
wedding  scene  a  beautiful  whole — but,  as 
to  whether  this  was  a  prophetical  pairing 
off  or  no,  it  is  impossible  to  determine,  for 
certainty,  as  Mrs.  Carter  had  discovered, 
life  has  a  way  of  her  own  in  conducting 
affairs  of  the  heart. 

A  sacred  moment  hovered  over  the 
Blossom  Shop  once  more — and  Anne  Car- 
ter and  Donald  Thornton  stepped  out 
thereafter  with  the  old  tie,  which  God 
had  joined  and  man  must  not  put  asunder, 
binding  their  hearts  and  lives. 
THE  END 


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but  as  it  is  contrary  to  our  policy  to  issue  two  books  by 
one  writer  in  a  year,  we  published  the  second  book  under 
the  pseudonym  "  Eleanor  Stuart." 

As  we  are  not  going  to  publish  a  new  book  of  Mrs. 
Porter's  this  year,  we  have  decided  to  announce  the  pub- 
lication of  SIX  STAR  RANCH  under  the  name  of  its 
real  author.  The  success  of  her  previous  books  is  prac- 
tically unparalleled  in  the  history  of  American  publish- 
ing, POLLYANNA:  THE  GLAD  BOOK,  having  al- 
ready sold  300,000  copies — an  average  of  more  than 
100,000  copies  for  three  consecutive  years — and  POLLY- 
ANNA  GROWS  UP:  THE  SECOND  GLAD  BOOK, 
having  sold  nearly  150,000  copies  in  nine  months. 

SIX  STAR  RANCH  is  a  charming  story,  in  the  au- 
thor's best  vein,  of  a  dear  little  Texas  girl,  who  plays 
"  the  glad  game  "  made  famous  by  POLLYANNA,  and 
plays  it  with  a  charm  which  will  put  her  on  the  same 
pinnacle,  side  by  side  with  POLLYANNA. 


SYLVIA  OF  THE  HILL  TOP 

A  Sequel  to  "  Sylvia's  Experiment,   *jjv 
The  Cheerful  Book" 


Trade" 


'Mark 


ZKCargaret  R.  'Piper 

m 

12mo,  cloth  decorative,  with  a  frontispiece  in  full  color, 
decorative  jacket,  net  $1.25;    carriage  paid  $1.40 

« 

In  THE  CHEERFUL  BOOK  Sylvia  Arden  proved 
herself  a  messenger  of  joy  and  cheerfulness  to  thousands 
of  readers.  In  this  new  story  she  plays  the  same  role  on 
Arden  Hill  during  her  summer  vacation  and  is  the  same 
wholesome,  generous,  cheerful  young  lady  who  made 
such  a  success  of  the  Christmas  Party.  She  befriends 
sick  neighbors,  helps  "  run  "  a  tea-room,  brings  together 
two  lovers  who  have  had  differences,  serves  as  the  con- 
venient bridesmaid  here  and  the  good  Samaritan  there, 
and  generally  acquits  herself  in  a  manner  which  made 
of  her  such  a  popular  heroine  in  the  former  story. 
There  is,  of  course,  a  Prince  Charming  in  the  back- 
ground. 

"  The  SYLVIA  books  should  be  read  by  all  the  expo- 
nents of  POLLYANNA  of  THE  GLAD  BOOKS,"  says 
Mr.  H.  V.  Meyer  of  the  American  Baptist  Publication 
Society. 


VKgxxoeasxasosaaasxo^^ 


THE  GIRL  FROM  THE  BIG 
HORN  COUNTRY 

<£//en  Chase 


l%mo,  cloth  decorative,  illustrated  by  R.  Farrington 
Elwell,  net  $1.25;   carriage  paid  $1.40 


At  the  beginning  of  the  story,  Virginia  Hunter,  a 
bright,  breezy,  frank-hearted  "  girl  of  the  Golden  West," 
comes  out  of  the  Big  Horn  country  of  Wyoming  to  the 
old  Bay  State.  Then  "  things  begin,"  when  Virginia, — 
who  feels  the  joyous,  exhilarating  call  of  the  Big  Horn 
wilderness  and  the  outdoor  life, — attempts  to  become 
acclimated  and  adopt  good  old  New  England  "  ways." 

Few  stories  reveal  a  more  attractive  heroine,  and  the 
joyous  spirit  of  youth  and  its  happy  adventures  give 
the  story  an  unusual  chanr 

"  The    book    has    natural    characters,    fresh    incidents, 
and  a  general   atmosphere  of  sincerity   and  wholesome 
understanding  of  girl  nature.    Virginia  may  well  become    j! 
as  popular  as  '  Miss  Billy '  or  irresistible  Anne." — New    j 
York  Sun. 

I 


SGKKBXQ 


THE  VIOLIN  LADY 

A  Sequel  to  "The  Fiddling  Girl"  and 
"The  Proving  of  Virginia" 


<Daisy  l&odes  Campbell 


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Read,  and  six  black  and  white  illustrations  by  John 
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This  new  story  continues  the  adventures  of  the  once 
little  Fiddling  Girl  and  tells  of  her  triumphs  and  hard- 
ships abroad,  of  her  friends,  her  love  affairs,  and  finally 
of  Virginia's  wedding  bells  and  return  to  America.  The 
previous  two  books  in  this  series  have  been  pronounced 
excellent  and  uplift  stories,  but  "  The  Violin  Lady "  is 
far  ahead  of  both  in  interest  and  charm. 

The  press  has  commented  on  the  author's  previous 
stories  as  follows: 

"  A  delightful  story  told  in  a  charming  manner.  The 
Page  Company  does  a  real  service  indeed  in  the  publi- 
cation of  so  many  of  these  excellent  stories." — Zion's 
Herald,  Boston. 

"A  thoroughly  enjoyable  tale,  written  in  a  delightful 
vein  of  sympathetic  comprehension." — Boston  Herald. 


S&aD£3XC£KKf&&^^ 


MAN  PROPOSES 


Or,  The  Romance  of 
John  Alden  Shaw 

H.  Robinson 


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The  story  of  John  Alden  Shaw  is  in  many  respects 
unique.  Containing  an  enigma  of  an  unusual  nature, 
an  odd  legal  tangle  and  a  deep  moral  problem,  the  plot 
holds  the  reader's  attention  to  the  very  end.  Quite  as 
interesting  as  the  major  theme  of  the  story  are  the 
minor  incidents,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  action  occurs 
In  gay  Newport  during  "  tennis  week "  and  one  some- 
what unusual  feature  of  the  book  is  the  introduction  of 
several  real  and  widely  known  characters — chiefly  tennis 
!  stars  of  international  reputation — and  actual  happenings,  * 
which  give  the  tale  peculiar  realism.  As  the  author  is  i 
recognized  as  one  of  our  leading  writers  on  tennis,  the 
scenes  at  the  famous  Casino  during  one  of  the  national 
championships  are  particularly  well  drawn. 

While  primarily  a  problem  love  story,  MAW  PROPOSES    i 
j     is  essentially  a  book  "  with  a  difference."     The  heroine 
is  a  charming  Southern  girl,  decidedly  American  in  her 
ideas,  while  John  is  himself  a  very  real  sort  of  young 
man,  and  though  possessed  of  sterling  qualities  which 
3    bring   him   victoriously   through   his    great   test,    is    no 
I    paragon  of  virtues. 

"Man  proposes,  but  God  disposes!" — Thomas  a  Kempis. 

"Prithee,  why   don't  you  epeak  for  yourself,  John?" 

— Longfellow. 

As  the  story  unfolds  the  reader  will  appreciate  the    ' 
significance  of  the  above  lines. 


&QKea&BO&aaoK^^ 


ANNE'S  WEDDING 


y^i          A  Blossom  Shop  Romance          f^i 

A  Sequel  to  "The  Blossom  Shop"  and  "Anne  of  the 
Blossom  Shop" 

{By  Isla  May  Mullins 

m 

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This  new  book  continues  the  story  of  a  delightful 
Southern  family  of  unique  combinations,  which  have 
been  introduced  to  thousands  of  interested  readers 
through  the  two  preceding  volumes,  THE  BLOSSOM  SHOP 
and  ANNE  OF  THE  BLOSSOM  SHOP.  The  new  volume 
promises  to  be  by  far  the  most  popular  of  the  three — 
which  is  saying  a  good  deal — for  these  stories,  sweet 
and  clean,  with  their  picturesque  Southern  setting,  have 
charmed  both  old  and  young.  In  the  new  volume  Anne, 
May  and  Gene,  three  girls  of  varying  types  from  lovely 
Mrs.  Carter's  garden  of  girls,  touch  life  in  new  and  vital 
ways  which  develop  sterling  character  and  set  promising 
and  full-blown  romance  to  stirring. 

"  There  is  so  much  of  sunshine  in  its  pages  that  it 
sheds  its  cheerfulness  upon  the  reader,  making  life 
seem  brighter  and  convincing  us  that  this  world  is  a 
pleasant  place  to  live  in  and  full  of  delightful,  kind- 
hearted  people." — Boston  Times. 


IE  ROAD  TO    .E  REVE 


ffiewer  Corcoran 

m 


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In  this  story  of  society  and  the  wilderness — not  the 
wilderness  of  the  average  angler  but  the  wilderness 
de  luxe  of  the  multi-millionaire  fishing  club — Mr. 
Corcoran  deals  powerfully  with  the  vital  theme  that  the 
few  should  give  up  their  pleasures  for  the  good  of  the 
many.  Not  only  does  Betty  Norton  turn  rebel  to 
environment,  but  foe  to  her  father  and  the  rest  of  the 
Idylwild  clique,  whose  interests  spread  out  like  the  web 
of  a  spider.  Her  fight  for  individuality,  her  loyalty  and 
her  charm  are  as  real  as  the  realities  of  which  she  is 
the  apostle.  And  fighting  at  her  side  is  Steve  Danforth, 
not  a  player  of  polo  or  a  hero  of  the  hotel  piazzas,  but 
a  clean-cut,  red-blooded  young  engineer  who  not  only 
dreams  of  a  road  to  Le  Reve,  but  makes  a  dream  come 
true. 

Primarily  this  story  is  a  romance — a  romance  of 
remarkable  merit,  combining  the  attractions  of  a  novel 
of  modern  American  enterprise  and  finance  with  those 
of  a  fascinating  love  story,  full  of  youth,  open  air  and 
adventure. 

The  keynote  of  unselfishness  which  is  struck  in  this 
book  is  the  controlling  one  of  the  hour. 


Selections  from 

The  Page  Company's 

_  List  of  Fiction    _ 

WORKS  OF 

ELEANOR  H.  PORTER 
POLLYANNA:  The  GLAD  Book    (340,ooo) 

Trade  Mark  Trade""  Mark 

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Mr.  Leigh  Mitchell  Hodges,  The  Optimist,  in  an  editorial  for 
the  Philadelphia  North  American,  says:  "And  when,  after 
Pollyanna  has  gone  away,  you  get  her  letter  saying  she  is  go- 
ing to  take  'eight  steps'  to-morrow  —  well,  I  don't  know  just 
what  you  may  do>  but  I  know  of  one  person  who  buried  his 
face  in  his  hands  and  shook  with  the  gladdest  sort  of  sadness 
and  got  down  on  his  knees  and  thanked  the  Giver  of  all  glad- 
ness for  Pollyanna." 

POLLYANNA  GROWS  UP;  The  Second  GLAD  Book 

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When  the  story  of  POLLTANNA  told  in  The  Glad  Book  was 
ended  a  great  cry  of  regret  for  the  vanishing  "  Glad  Girl  " 
went  up  all  over  the  country  —  and  other  countries,  too.  Now 
POLLYANNA  appears  again,  just  as  sweet  and  joyous-hearted, 
more  grown  up  and  more  lovable. 

"  Take  away  frowns  !    Put  down  the  worries  !    Stop  fidgeting 
and  disagreeing  and  grumbling  !    Cheer  up,  everybody  !    POIXT- 
has  come  back  !  "  —  Christian  Herald. 


The  GLAD  Book  Calendar 

Trad.""        "~  Mark 

THE  POLLYANNA  CALENDAR 

Trade  Mark 

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year  being  ready  about  Sept.  1st  of  the  preceding  year.    Note: 
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"There  is  a  message  of  cheer  on  every  page,  and  the  calen- 
dar is  beautifully  illustrated."—  Kansat  City  Star. 


THE   PAGE    COMPANY'S 


WORKS   OF   ELEANOR   H.   PORTER    (Continued) 

MISS  BILLY  (lyth  printing) 

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"  There  is  something  altogether  fascinating  about  '  Miss 
Billy,'  some  inexplicable  feminine  characteristic  that  seems  to 
demand  the  individual  attention  of  the  reader  from  the  moment 
we  open  the  book  until  we  reluctantly  turn  the  last  page."— 
Boston  Transcript. 

MISS  BILLY'S  DECISION   (loth  printing) 

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"  The  story  is  written  in  bright,  clever  style  and  has  plenty 
of  action  and  humor.  Miss  Billy  is  nice  to  know  and  so  are 
her  friends." — New  Haven  Times  Leader. 

"  The  author  has  succeeded  admirably  in  repeating  so  de- 
lightful a  character  and  in  making  her  the  heroine  of  so  many 
interesting  and  amusing  adventures." — The  Springfield  Union. 

MISS  BILLY  — MARRIED  (8th  printing) 

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"  Although  Pollyanna  is  the  only  copyrighted  glad  girl,  Miss 
Billy  is  just  as  glad  as  the  younger  figure  and  radiates  just 
as  much  gladness.  She  disseminates  joy  so  naturally  that  we 
wonder  why  all  girls  are  not  like  her." — Boston  Transcript. 

"  No  one  can  come  within  the  charmed  circle  of  Miss  Billy's 
radiant  personality  without  a  vast  increase  of  good  cheer,  of 
insistent  optimism  and  outgoing  unselfishness.  She  is  one  of 
the  vital  characters  that  vitalize  everyone." — Christian  En- 
deavor World. 

CROSS  CURRENTS' 

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THE  TURN  OF  THE  TIDE 

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"  A  very  beautiful  book  showing  the  influence  that  went  to 
the  developing  of  the  life  of  a  dear  little  girl  into  a  true  and 
good  woman." — Herald  and  Presbyter,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


LIST   OF  FICTION 


WORKS  OF 

L  M.  MONTGOMERY 

JtXXE  TRILOGY 

ANNE  OF  GREEN  GABLES  Uoth  printing) 

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most  moving  and  delightful  child  since  the  immortal  Alice." 
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ANNE  OF  AVONLEA  (22nd  printing) 

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"  A  book  to  lift  the  spirit  and  send  the  pessimist  into  bank- 
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ANNE  OF  THE  ISLAND 

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"  It  has  been  well  worth  while  to  watch  the  growing  up  of 
Anne,  and  the  privilege  of  being  on  intimate  terms  with  her 
throughout  the  process  has  been  properly  valued."  —  New  York 
Herald. 


CHRONICLES  pF  AVONLEA  (6th  printing) 

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"A  story  of  decidedly  unusual  conception  and  interest."  - 
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THE  STORY  GIRL  (gth  printing) 

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KILMENY  OF  THE  ORCHARD  (loth  printing) 

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"  A  story  born  in  the  heart  of  Arcadia  and  brimful  of  the 
sweet  life  of  the  primitive  environment." — Boston  Herald. 

THE  GOLDEN  ROAD  fcth  printing) 

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"It  is  a  simple,  tender  tale,  touched  to  higher  notes,  now 
and  then,  by  delicate  hints  of  romance,  tragedy  and  pathos." 
— Chicago  Record-Herald. 


THE   PAGE    COMPANY'S 


NOVELS  BY 

ISLA  MAY  MULLINS 
THE  BLOSSOM  SHOP:  A  Story  of  the  South 

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"  Frankly  and  wholly  romance  is  this  book,  and  lovable — as 
is  a  fairy  tale  properly  told.  And  the  book's  author  has  a 
style  that's  all  her  own,  that  strikes  one  as  praiseworthily  orig- 
inal throughout." — Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 

"  There  is  so  much  of  sunshine  in  its  pages  that  it  sheds  its 
cheerfulness  upon  the  reader,  making  life  seem  brighter  and 
convincing  us  that  this  world  is  a  pleasant  place  to  live  in  and 
full  of  delightful  kind-hearted  people." — Boston  Times, 

ANNE  OF  THE  BLOSSOM  SHOP;  Or  The  Grow- 
ing Up  of  Anne  Carter 

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"  A  charming  portrayal  of  the  attractive  life  of  the  South, 
refreshing  as  a  breeze  that  blows  through  a  pine  forest."— 
Albany  Times-Union, 

NOVELS  BY 

DAISY  RHODES  CAMPBELL 
THE  FIDDLING  GIRL 

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"  A  thoroughly  en j  oyable  tale,  written  in  a  delightful  vein  of 
sympathetic  comprehension." — Boston  Herald. 

THE  PROVING  OF  VIRGINIA 

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"  A  book  which  contributes  so  much  of  freshness,  enthusiasm, 
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deserves  all  the  praise  which  can  be  showered  upon  it." — 
Kindergarten  Review. 


LIST   OF   FICTION 


WORKS  OF 

CHARLES  G.  D.  ROBERTS 
HAUNTERS  OF  THE  SILENCES 

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The  stories  in  Mr.  Roberts's  new  collection  are  the  strongest 
and  best  he  has  ever  written. 

He  has  largely  taken  for  his  subjects  those  animals  rarely 
met  with  in  books,  whose  lives  are  spent  "  In  the  Silences," 
where  they  are  the  supreme  rulers. 

"  As  a  writer  about  animals,  Mr.  Roberts  occupies  an  envi- 
able place.  He  is  the  most  literary,  as  well  as  the  most  imag- 
inative and  vivid  of  all  the  nature  writers." — Brooklyn  Eagle. 

RED  FOX 

THE  STORY  OF  His  ADVENTUROUS  CAREER  IN  THE  RINGWAAK 

WlLD9,    AND    OP    HlS    FlNAL    TRIUMPH    OVER    THE     ENEMIES    OF 

His  KIND.     With  fifty  illustrations,  including  frontispiece  in 
color  and  cover  design  by  Charles  Livingston  Bull. 
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"  True  in  substance  but  fascinating  as  fiction.    It  will  inter- 
est old  and  young,  city-bound  and  free-footed,  those  who  know 
animals  and  those  who  do  not." — Chicago  Record-Herald. 

THE  KINDRED  OF  THE  WILD 

A  BOOK  OF  ANIMAL  LIFE.     With  fifty-one  full-page  plates 

and  many  decorations  from  drawings  by  Charles  Livingston 

Bull. 

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"  Is  in  many  ways  the  most  brilliant  collection   of  animal 

stories  that  has  appeared;    well  named  and  well  done." — John 

Burroughs. 

THE  WATCHERS  OF  THE  TRAILS 

A  companion  volume  to  "  The  Kindred  of  the  Wild."    With 
forty-eight    full-page    plates    and    many    decorations    from 
drawings  by  Charles  Livingston  Bull. 
Square  quarto,  cloth  decorative  ......     $2.00 

"  These  stories  are  exquisite  in  their  refinement,  and  yet  ro- 
bust in  their  appreciation  of  some  of  the  rougher  phases  of 
woodcraft.  Among  the  many  writers  about  animals,  Mr.  Rob- 
erts occupies  an  enviable  place." — The  Outlook. 


THE   PAGE    COMPANY'S 


THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  WATER 

With  thirty  full-page  illustrations  by  Charles  Livingston  Bull 
and  Frank  Vining  Smith.  Cover  design  and  decorations  by 
Charles  Livingston  Bull. 

Library  12mo,  cloth  decorative  .          .          .          .          .     $1.50 
"  Every  paragraph  is  a  splendid  picture,  suggesting  in  a  few 
words    the    appeal    of    the    vast,    illimitable   wilderness." — The 
Chicago  Tribune. 

"  This  is  a  book  full  of  delight.  An  additional  charm  lies  in 
Mr.  Bull's  faithful  and  graphic  illustrations,  which  in  fashion 
all  their  own  tell  the  story  of  the  wild  life,  illuminating  and 
supplementing  the  pen  pictures  of  the  author." — Literary 
Digest. 

THE  HEART  THAT  KNOWS 

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"  A  novel  of  singularly  effective  strength,  luminous  in  liter- 
ary color,  rich  in  its  passionate,  yet  tender  drama." — New  York 
Globe. 

EARTH'S  ENIGMAS 

A  new  edition  of  Mr.  Roberts's  first  volume  of  fiction,  pub- 
lished in  1892,  and  out  of  print  for  several  years,  with  the 
addition  of  three  new  stories,  and  ten  illustrations  by  Charles 
Livingston  Bull. 

Library  12mo,  cloth  decorative  .....  $1.50 
"  It  will  rank  high  among  collections  of  short  stories.  In 
'Earth's  Enigmas'  is  a  wider  range  of  subjects  than  in  the 
'  Kindred  of  the  Wild.' " — Review  from  advance  sheets  of  the 
illustrated  edition  by  Tiffany  Blake  in  the  Chicago  Evening 
Post. 

BARBARA  LADD 

With  four  illustrations  by  Frank  Verbeck. 

Library  12mo,  cloth  decorative $1.50 

"  From  the  opening  chapter  to  the  final  page  Mr.  Roberts 
lures  us  on  by  his  rapt  devotion  to  the  changing  aspects  of 
Nature  and  by  his  keen  and  sympathetic  analysis  of  human 
character." — Boston  Transcript. 

"  A  very  fine  novel.  We  unhesitatingly  pronounce  it  ... 
one  of  the  books  that  stamp  themselves  at  once  upon  the  imag- 
ination, and  remain  imbedded  in  the  memory  long  after  the 
covers  are  closed." — Literary  World,  Boston. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  UBRAR> '  FACILI1 


A     000  045  682     2 


